Scarecrow's Beloved
by JeffC FTW
Summary: He had fallen in love with her, but her obsession with the abusive Clown Prince of Crime is the last straw. To break that unhealthy compulsion and protect her was to take her away and make her his forever.
1. Chapter 1

**My first Jonathan Crane/Harley Quinn story. :D I read others of them in the past but NEVER thought I'd do one. It will come as no surprise that he is very protective of her as much as Ivy is of the adorable harlequin over her abusive on-off boyfriend, Joker. A few years ago, I read a great oneshot where the clown tosses her out AGAIN and she takes the hyenas with her so she goes to stay with none other than Professor Crane - who has secret feelings for her and loathes her obsession with the Joker. But eventually Harley does choose the Master of Fear over the Clown Prince of Crime. :) Unfortunately, that story no longer exists, and I do not remember the name OR the author. But I never forgot about it, and that is what inspires me here.  
**

 **We begin the story with Harley's Holiday, the fantastic ep in which we see that adorable moment between her and the good professor. :D Who can forget his rant?**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Batman or this animated series I've loved since I was a toddler. And much thanks to Arleen Sorkin and the late great Henry Polic II for bringing these wonderful characters to life.**

Chapter One

Dr. Leland read out the most wonderful news in the world to her as Harleen Quinzelle sat before the good woman, excited and ready to explode with joy. She'd passed her competency hearing and all, and starting tomorrow, she would be released back into society.

 _Mentally sane and sound._

"WHOOPEEEEEEE!" Harley shrieked, finally jumping up and around the room, buzzing in and out in her excitement. "Yay, _yay_ , YAY!" After all this time in this rathole-hellhole, she was free to go soon. Tomorrow she would be back at her and Joker's old hideout to retrieve the babies and they would go out to have some fun and celebrating. She would probably get a fun job someplace, too, like as a schoolteacher or maybe a model, then get married and have babies - to think of all the possibilities!

And then she remembered the other woman in front of her and ceased her moment. "Um, uh, I mean, thank you, Dr. Leland," she said nervously, standing straight and blushing madly red. But the good therapist smiled sweetly.

"That's okay," she said kindly. "You have every reason to feel proud of yourself, Harley."

Then they both jumped at the sudden harsh bark outside the office, crystal clear: "Unhand me!"

Joan sighed and shook her head, standing from behind her desk. "I just wish the other inmates could make your sort of progress," she said to Harley, who was actually too preoccupied to pay attention, stepping closer to the front of the door to see who was coming up, handcuffed and in full costume - save for the mask - and "escorted" by none other than Batface and Birdbrain.

"I am the Master of Fear, the Lord of Despair! Cower before me in witless terror!"

Harley smiled and waved at him when he stopped in front of Leland's office upon seeing her, returning the smile. "Hi, Professor Crane," she said.

"Good evening, child." But that polite demeanor was gone as quickly as it came as he went back to screaming at the cowled man in black. "Worship me, fools! _Worship_ me!" He continued his tirade about his status as the God of Terror even as the orderlies came to take him away; Red from her glass cell was watching with a rolling of her eyes. Harley closed her eyes briefly; Professor Crane was another she always liked and cared about. Ever since he was first brought to Arkham for poisoning the board of Gotham State and various others in it, a failed revenge for his disgrace. But that was not all; he had been her professor for a short amount of time before he was fired for his illegal experimentation, yet she never spoke to him personally outside the classroom.

In Arkham, however, and sometimes outside, she found the courage and the two began to become good friends. Yet he also did not approve of her relationship with her puddin', just like Ivy.

The former harlequin jumped when the Batman turned his fierce attention to her. "I hear you're getting out tomorrow," he stated bluntly.

Harley huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "You got a problem with that, B-Man?"

He surprised her by holding his hand out to her, a sincere handshake she did not mistake. She had been a psychology intern and expert once to know he meant it. "Congratulations."

She took it, chewing her lip nervously. Somehow it wasn't so bad. "Alright, so I made mistakes, but I promise I'll do better outside." She almost jumped when his grip tightened on hers and he leaned in, lips slightly pulling back as he growled.

"For your sake...I _hope so._ "

~o~

"So, Jon, the clown's girl is out for good," Nygma noted as soon as the Scarecrow walked into rec time and sat beside him. Tetch had not yet come, but he would soon, and it wouldn't be long before he asked one of them to a game of chess. The Riddler himself snorted and shook his head as he engrossed himself with both his crossword puzzle and his attention on the Master of Fear. "Let's hope she does better than me - IF Joker doesn't snag her back."

Crane scoffed and leaned back against the couch. He highly doubted his friend from the start; Edward tried to lead his own life outside these walls, joined a toy corporation and used his costume as marketing means, and he just could not change to make anyone happy. _It's precisely what the Rogues of Gotham will not do, myself included - but Harley..._

"If you couldn't fool the world, and you couldn't help yourself, I don't think she will fare better," he stated, picking up a new edition of a psychology magazine, one of the few. "We don't give ourselves up for the world; they know nothing about us -" He stopped himself there. "But I hope Harley does manage to stay away from the Joker." From the beginning, he always knew she was too good for that madman - because he was nothing like them, just existing simply for his own entertainment. Everyone in the gallery, himself and Isley notably, wondered what she even saw in him, and it angered him to no end that she still didn't see she was just a pawn for the clown.

"You have my two cents on that, boys."

"Dr. Isley," Jonathan stated as the striking redhead came to perch herself in front of them and pick up the remote for the television overhead, flipping through until she found a channel on home and garden, ironically.

"I always told her that she needs some self-esteem, but how does she keep repaying me?" Pamela hissed. "Running back to him. I just hope now that she is out, she steers clear away from him completely."

"Hope it'd be someone who doesn't beat her till she has a black eye and bloody nose, and so on," Edward concurred. His green eyes steered their way from the vixen to the former professor, and Crane knew what he was implying.

"Nygma," he warned, "don't go as far as to point your finger at me to become full-time protector. I have welcomed her before -"

"And it was me doing the majority," Isley cut in impatiently, narrowing her eyes. "It would be nice if someone else tried to do the job I could never do, Jonathan." Her clipped tone immediately changed to sugary sweet in a split second. "You're the doctor of psychiatry; she was your student, wasn't she?"

Crane nodded. For a time, yes. She was one of the best he had, and he had seen her more on top than the others. He always wanted to talk to her outside the classroom, but it would have been inappropriate for obvious reasons. He never truly paid attention to physical appearances, but Harleen Quinzelle was full of life that he did not ever remember encountering in his life - until he was fired, and then met with her again when he was placed in Arkham Asylum. _To even THINK she threw her potential away for that psychopath! The one word I will appropriately use for the clown._

"Oh, Jon," Nygma said, breaking him out of his thoughts, "you're blushing."

"I beg your pardon?" he demanded, glaring at the Puzzle Master, who shrugged with one shoulder.

"When a man blushes and thinks of a woman at the same time, it can mean only one thing."

Scarecrow reeled backwards, baring his teeth defensively. What Riddler was implying - "Nygma, that is absurd! Harley is nothing more to me than a remarkable young woman who would have had a promising future if not for that monster called a beau," he stated angrily, knowing she could have had someone better if she didn't let her foolish heart get the best of her.

Edward chortled and shook his head. "Say it as it is, Professor," he said, "but I know the signs when I see them, being the romantic I am. Wouldn't you agree, Pamela?"

Isley snorted. "I agree Harl deserves better, as I told her for years, but does she EVER listen to me? Not at all. Jonathan," she said sweetly, yet again, "if you ever get out of here, would you do the honors?"

He sighed and shook his own head. Every time he would get out of Arkham, the Batman would always bring him back. Reality check, there was nothing for him if he ever wanted to become a "good tax-paying citizen" yet again. His research was all he would live for, and he would not give that up.

But with Harley? He'd have to think about that.

~o~

Well, she didn't last a day out of Arkham. She had been having so much fun, even got a new dress and paid for it - except she never went out the door before the alarm rang, but she wouldn't let them take her new dress!

All she wanted to do was to start fresh with her babies, like she wanted, but NO! Society didn't want her to be happy. So, she had to snatch rich girl Veronica Vreeland along with the babies so she could try and get away from the heat - but B-man, Bird Boy, GCPD _and_ the army were on her tail, the last of them led by Veronica's general father. But how could she explain with her past that it was all a misunderstanding?

Her "hostage" seemed to like her and understand why she did what she did; it was only her first day out of Arkham, so yeah, the idea of being back in so soon set her into panic mode. But after the incident with Boxy and his gang, here she was back in, but not too long, Leland said. Harley hoped so, with more good behavior, and given Miss Vreeland dropped the kidnapping charges.

What made it better: the Batman gave her the pink dress she bought and wanted! How could she repay him other than with a kiss? He might be the problem between her and her Mistah J, but he was cute and thoughtful nevertheless.

When she passed by Red's cell and others for hers, she paused by to see a certain auburn-haired man sitting in his chair and reading a psychology text, looking up and seeing her when she passed by. She smiled at him, and he returned it just like yesterday.

 **The cover image for the story is a wonderful image I found on deviantart. :) I knew for a long time that it was the cutest thing ever, that it was perfect to fit this story and what will come in the future. Read and review, and don't fear that I will not continue. :D  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Ever since being back at Arkham, Mistah J had been out of the picture, not bothering to even come back when she did. He was too busy with the Batman right now, and the last thing she heard was that he was having fun brainwashing comedians with Hatter's chips before Bats took him down. Harley had high hopes to see her puddin' return to her, ignoring altogether the disgust of Pam, Eddie and Crane - and upon throwing her arms around her beloved Mistah J, he returned the embrace and kiss like the king who returned to his queen.

But upon learning about what she'd been up to, he flew into a rage behind the backs of the others and struck her for the first time in awhile. He'd called her weak, trying to go back into society's arms like a good little girl. By the next morning, the bruise on her cheek showed that she couldn't hide from the others, and that was when enough was enough for Red.

"I'm getting out of Arkham, but I won't stand this pathetic excuse any longer," she'd snapped, then turned her back to Harley again. The blonde could not remember being so hurt like that. All these years and now the redhead was not speaking to her. She was escaping Arkham again, but this time she was leaving Harley Quinn behind because she was tired of trying to get her to leave the Joker.

Poison Ivy was gone mysteriously, no one finding out just yet how she vanished from the asylum this time, but the rumor was that she was gone out of town once again. Who knew where. The last time she was gone, she was in South Africa after the revelation of her false attempt to live a normal family life, hoping to save the life line of a rare freesia flower in a more fertile ground, then expand its life. When that failed, she saved what she could of the species and returned it to Gotham only to be brought back into Arkham when Batman found out.

Now she was leaving again, for who knew how long and when she'd ever be back. Ivy hated Gotham because nothing grew here; she only returned because it was the only domain she could take her reign over.

Jonathan Crane was the first one to notice the mark on Harley's face and know right away what the cause was. "Child, this has to end," he whispered to her as soon as she seated beside him. She glared at him.

"Professor, I deserved this."

"That is inexcusable! You absolutely did not!" Some of the other inmates were beginning to look their way, and he immediately lowered his voice. "Harley, you must stay away from him. I do not care if he wants you to go with him on whatever he plans to do next; you cannot go with him and follow his tail at every turn. Pamela is right about him that you might be brighter than the rest of us, but you do not see that the clown uses you."

She did not want to hear anymore, just stood up and went to the restroom nearby, with her favorite guard nearby who stood outside the door and waited for her. She let loose her cries and tears into the sink that even cold or hot water could not cleanse away the source they came from inside her body. She'd been back in Arkham for a couple weeks and the trouble with Joker and the others was back with a terrible comeuppance.

Why couldn't _anyone_ be happy for her and Mistah J?

Pretty soon, it was not the criticism and readjustments back to where she was sure she truly belonged were her main problems.

Three months gone by, and she was getting better - but there was also a new trouble for them all, including poor Professor Crane, for there was a very scary head of the asylum hired by Wayne Enterprises. His name was Lyle Bolton; the moment Harley laid her eyes on him, she began to fear not only for the others around her, but for her own life.

~o~

The broken ribs and jaw were only the beginning for him and the others; in the others' cases, Edward had a broken leg and was in the infirmary for over a week. Crane even ended up beside him for a few days longer, reaching over to hold the other's hand in his because Nygma was his friend and was next to him through the ordeal.

The Master of Fear and the Prince of Puzzles both endured similar childhoods even though they never knew each other back then, but when they confided in each other about them and kept them from the doctors, it was what brought them together as friends. When Jervis Tetch came along, his heartaching experience was what made both other men more human - the three of them together were like one great force that couldn't be stopped.

Correction: Jonathan met Jervis before Edward came along. When he met the Mad Hatter, it was simply because of the story he heard during group therapy involving a girl he fought for but couldn't have, that it was Batman's fault, and that he would have been happy if not for the miserable life he lived before he met Alice Pleasance. Spoke of a broken heart in Wonderland, that she would never come to his "tea party", and so many other things that the therapist in charge of his case threw her hands into the air in exasperation so many times. On Scarecrow's part, it wasn't difficult to see that Jervis Tetch had feared losing the one he loved and fought to win her - only for the fear to win in the end.

When he was a boy, he gave up all hope of ever being loved as he never had it from his grandmother or any other girl in his youth. As a man, he shunned any attempts from both women his own age and the young women in his classroom. Women and love were not on his list, and once he let his own heart get the best of him only to end disastrously.

But with Harleen Quinzelle, she didn't laugh at him or push him away, but she could not be any more than fond of him, obviously. The Joker had her in his grasp.

What had he been thinking to try and talk her out of it again, seeing her run away and cry even though she tried to hide it from him. The signs were unmistakable from afar; he sighed to himself as he should not have said those things, but it had to be done.

And right now, there was Lyle Bolton to deal with.

From the moment he laid his eyes on the large man who was four times the lanky ex-professor, he could not remember the last time he trembled with such fear - twice with dealing with the Batman. This fear was real, brought from the natural substances of his body that did not involve his own fear poison against him, and the glint in Bolton's eyes was devilish beyond earthly. Jonathan tried not to show it but failed. And a couple times when Bolton first came into his cell after dealing with the others in a pattern from the end of the hallway and working his way down...

He could remember Harley screaming and trying to fight him when he took her favorite harlequin doll and tore it apart, then screaming louder when he punched her until she bled in her mouth and from her nose; it was a miracle she hid her favorite new dress from her first and only day out of Arkham that well. Crane never saw the dress, but he understood it was that precious to her. And the fact the Batman helped her and heard about the little kiss of gratitude through Isley made him smirk.

He remembered the many times that he met with Harley in the infirmary, seeing the injuries on her face far more extensive than Joker would ever give her. They were both trapped, like the others, in this hell that he wanted to escape and take her with him, far from Joker and Bolton, from Batman - from Gotham in general. Now that it was becoming clear of his feelings for her, protection, he became all the more determined to break her from harm's way.

He failed to get away from Bolton only to be brought back to Arkham, and the beating was worse than you could imagine. He ended up in the infirmary once again, sparking the suspicions of Dr. Leland as well as Dr. Bartholomew who had come to inform him that Bruce Wayne wanted to hold a hearing against Bolton, private as it was. Crane was asked to testify, along with Harley herself and Wesker and his puppet. All four - if you counted Scarface - were scared out of their wits that they didn't speak against him right away, until Wayne announced the extension of the security head's contract to eighteen more months!

Scarecrow liked to think from then on that the billionaire had done it only to get them to finally confess what Bolton had done to them, but he was glad the man did, for the instant Lyle Bolton erupted with rage, Bartholomew let him go, not before the monster roared his promise of revenge on them all one day. That was the last time anyone saw him.

Jonathan Crane did not remember feeling so exhausted and yet elated that their enemy had fallen. He found himself looking into Harley's shining blue eyes when they both knew they would never be harmed by Lyle Bolton ever again. The embrace they shared was quick before they were taken back to their separate cells along with Ventriloquist and Scarface.

By the end of the day for rec time, she jumped onto him with a squeal of happiness. "Oh, Jonny, he's finally gone! I should get Jervis here and have us call to celebrate," she said. "We should have a tea party as he likes to say."

He snorted. Of course, Hatter would say tea party, but he supposed it wouldn't hurt. Bolton's dismissal was something to worth celebrate over. But before he could answer, he felt warm, soft and full lips press against his cheek with so much pressure that a heat built up in his skin and shot throughout his entire face. When she pulled back, she was grinning from ear to ear. "What do ya say?"

Jonathan chuckled. "A cause to celebrate sounds...marvelous."

~o~

 _Oh, Mistah J!_ she thought, nearly crying when she read the note as well as saw the gift that had come with it. The box was black velvet on the outside, and inside on smooth satin to match was the prettiest present she had ever seen - and a ring, no less. She almost squealed with joy as she tried it on that finger, only to find it was too big, and fitting the forefinger, which made her pout. But still, puddin' couldn't have been more of an angel.

It had been so long since she had seen or heard from him, and only a month which was always a feeling of more than enough. He'd been lucky to be away from Arkham before Lyle Bolton came along; he was still gone for good and better stay that way. This note and the ring now on her finger which she would cherish always made her realize how much her heart ached.

 _My little Harley Quinn, I have missed you so and will come and sweep you from that dreary place very soon. Together we will continue to take down the Batman once and for all. I can never be without my precious angel._

"Angel," she breathed aloud, sighing with passion and holding both treasures close to her.

Taking one more look at the ring, she grinned when she beheld the soft rose band with the beautiful petals wrapping around five rubies circling a tiny diamond. Mistah J knew her so well, and knew what she loved. When she first met him, he could read through her so well that she didn't even catch of herself before. When she saw him, then she would do more than just give him a kiss and a swirling hug...

"It's an interesting trinket from a man who abandoned you last time."

She whirled around and looked to see the man who still even spoke to her when everyone else apparently abandoned her, like Red did. Professor Crane was looking at the ring around her finger, against her chest now along with the note, with a far from pleased expression. _Oh, not again,_ she thought with a little moan. "Professor, don't start," she pleaded. "Mistah J said he was coming for me, that he'd get me outta here instead of waiting for the law to declare me sane and sound once again, so we can finish off Batman -"

"As ever, only for it to end in vain," Crane snapped, interrupting her angrily and then turning on his heel, away from her. Harley watched him go, her heart collapsing once again that it seemed he, her only true friend left here, was turning against her for the same reasons as Ivy had.

It was also then and there Harley Quinn realized she _didn't_ want to lose Jonathan Crane.

 **I know I said it before, but reviews are appreciated. :) I won't stop writing, but reviews and hearing what people say and love means a lot - though no flames, please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**My birthday is on the 18th, and I'll be turning twenty-three. :D I intend to finish this story before vacation time, but I'm also trying not to force anything out, either. A good story must NEVER be forced.**

 **I also went back to deviantart and found the name and creator of the cover image: "Scarecrow x Harley: Not so extreme snuggle" by PowerOptix. :D There's more of them where THAT came from.**

Chapter Three

"So, she's back with him."

"Of course she is, Nygma." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. "She's gotten a ring from him, and her reaction was obvious enough. I know I have said this before, but I am weary of this. She deserves better than someone who lashes out at her over the attempts to make her own punchline, and she should not give any part of herself up to make anyone happy - much less that clown. I know that from my own experiences." He had always been too proud of himself to sacrifice any section of his identity, and even IF he met the right woman in his life, then he wouldn't ask her for anything in the first instant. But relationships were always about compromises of any kind.

The Riddler clicked his pen in and out purely out of habit, snorting. "Jon, you're not even a romantic as I am, yet you state everything with Harley as it is. You gotta stop running and face the facts. Harley won't let go of the Joker, and forcing her to do it will not end well. Who knows when he will come and get her -"

 _Who knows,_ Crane's mind repeated. "I wish I knew, but when he comes, then that further ruins her chance of getting away from this place for good. I know for sure I am tired of running away, tired of hiding - and tired of fighting the Batman. I've been at this with him for what? Four years at most?" He sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Indeed, he was weary to his bones. He was in his mid-forties and not a spring chicken. There were many things he was weary of, but he could not regret everything he did - except maybe one thing.

 _Harley._

He felt like he was wasting his time trying to save her, and if he would not be able to chase her anymore, then so be it. He was fine alone before and would be fine after. He could get out of Arkham and get out of Gotham forever, retire someplace quiet where he could spend the remainder of his days writing books of his experiments and on the subject of fear in his eyes.

"Jonathan, you should take her with you."

He started and looked at Edward with shock. "Nygma, are you out of your -?!" He didn't finish the sentence as he would never call his friend and sometimes-partner out of his mind. Both men were too proud to be called such a phrase. "Edward, even if I wanted to whisk her away with me, she would always go back to him!" Jonathan hissed, but the other red-haired man shook his head with a grin.

"Jon," Nygma repeated, leaning forward, "what would Jervis say and do if he saw the first girl who made his heart soar?"

Crane rolled his eyes and turned his face away. He didn't have time for any of this, but Edward wasn't having it. "Aw, come on, enough is enough. I know how much you care for her. If Tetch were here now, he would say the same thing. If you want me to, we can always grab him and work this out like the three of us can do it. I can win a girl over if she was capable of solving any of my riddles, but you? You're too absorbed in self-pity and just giving up over her easier than you do with your precious fear toxin. You're a man, for crying out loud, and a man never lets the girl he loves go that easily."

The entire time he listened, Jonathan had to nod in agreement. He did care about Harleen Quinzelle; he didn't want to let her go. He had to do something if words didn't work. Nygma was right about that, too: a real man never let anything slip past him without a fight. What was happening right now had become an apparent life-or-death struggle for the girl. Now he wanted to roll his eyes.

What had this become, a literary battle for the damsel's heart?

~o~

She had just begun her internship when she first met the Joker, being a professional young lady of twenty-three years old and practically fresh from a broken high school relationship and a father who was in jail. Harleen Quinzelle had just gotten her PhD by that time, being one of the youngest doctors to come to Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

She first saw the Joker when she passed by his cell with Dr. Leland beside her, who had welcomed her warmly but also warned her that these crooks would stop at nothing to chew her apart if she so much as took this too lightly. Not that Harleen intended to, and the Joker was a challenge for her. The first night his eyes were on her, she found the rose and note on her desk that she knew was from him based on the "J" at the end of the letter - and she would have gone to the guards if he hadn't caught her sooner.

Then he surprised her again by mentioning the reworking of her name which she hadn't heard in a long time: _"Harleen Quinzelle...rework it a bit, and you get Harley Quinn."_

 _"Like the clown character harlequin. I know, I've heard it before."_

She had thought she prepared for the sessions that followed, tried to prove herself, before the Joker stunned her with a revelation that she never thought she'd ever hear from him: his father had abused him when he was a boy, and the only real time he'd heard his father laugh when he dropped his pants during a joke, and he was seven years old not that long after being taken to the circus for the first time, the act by the clowns he saw - and that was when Harleen fell over laughing with him, the first time she'd laughed in a long time. Only she stopped laughing when he added his father gave him a punch for his misbehavior.

No one ever made her laugh the way Joker did.

And above all, she had never met anyone better who understood her than he.

Pretty soon, their sessions had become the other way around, bordering on personal than professional. Soon he was the therapist and she was the patient, while she found it in her to open up about her own difficult life. She couldn't remember when she last told anyone about her father or her last boyfriend before they went their separate ways.

 _The downside of comedy is that they always take shots from folks who don't get the joke._

And how right he was. For in the end, Dr. Quinzelle concluded her patient was nothing more than a "tortured soul who was looking for love and acceptance, but the Batman and other people are always in the way." Who can ever let go of the fact that it was _Batman_ who threw him into that vat of chemicals? He was the one who caused hell for her ANGEL.

Her angel...that was what she called him. Joker was her angel who needed her more than ever. Her heart broke when he was brought back in by the Batman, bruised and broken in places, and Dr. Bartholomew held her as she lamented for him. It was also then and there that she decided something had to be done, something that would make her _puddin'_ proud of her.

His new and improved _Harley Quinn._ And you'd have thought that after she drove away with him and into the night for their happily ever after, it would end there...but Batman was always in the way. Mistah J tried to kill him numerous times, and all ended badly.

Add in the fact she got more than a little pain. Harley never understood why he would hit her over any mistake, or the fact once in awhile she "got in the way". She still liked to think BATMAN, but this time had to do with the fact she tried to be a good girl now, then sent her a ring and promised to get her out again so she wouldn't have to wait any longer for the law to declare her normal again...

Puddin' said this time he would come for her, but two more months came and went, and nothing. By that time, she stood before the courts, and the documents were drawn officially. She was walking away from Arkham for good. She wanted to let loose more screams of enjoyment, but stern eyes were on her that she couldn't overact, so she held herself with her chin high and hands in front of her as the verdict of legally sane was presented.

However, there was a catch and an order in one that it made her break inside.

She was never to see, stay in contact with, or even attempt to meet with the Joker - her beloved puddin' - _ever again_.

~o~

 _Let's only hope that she stays that way and not attempt to get herself in jail._ Jonathan shook his head and snorted; if she so much as disobeyed that order, she would end up in a one-way ticket to Blackgate, the one place she would not last a day in - and without him.

By him, Jonathan meant himself.

Nygma was struck with a head cold that he could not come to rec tonight, leaving him with Jervis of course. Crane thought he could use the less nagging company for a change - but how wrong he was when the short, blond-haired man began to question him about his "missing Alice".

"Tetch, not now," he said tiredly, but Jervis wouldn't let him.

"She's away from the rabbit hole, and you are here. I doubt the Joker will leave her alone now, or the fact he could snatch her away once more, and if that happens -" Jervis rambled, a panicked edge to his voice. "You got to find a way to get out of here legally as she did, for her sake, March."

"That's what Nygma said."

"He's right, my friend! This is your chance, don't you see?"

He wanted nothing more in the world, but there had to be a doctor to convince that he was ready to reenter society - and there was a good chance that the Batman himself would find it suspicious, but it was none of the night rat's business. Crane knew he and Harley would think of something together...if she'd let him. He didn't know when she would begin to get her life back on track without Joker, if she managed to get her "babies" away already, and if she didn't find someone already given the golden heart she was who let it get the best of her.

"I see it," he said finally to Tetch with a smile, "and I could use your help and Edward's right away." The blond's blue eyes lit up with his smile.

He spoke with Dr. Leland the next morning, and who could ever forget the look on her face as well as her response?

"I'm pleased you decided to make the progress Harleen did, Professor. But may I ask...what prompted this change?" He smiled at her most sincerely.

"Harley did," Jonathan answered honestly. "Given you know her as well as I, there is nothing about her to give the proper words why." _Only that she needs my protection more than ever._

~o~

She had to say that three weeks of settling into her new apartment in Gotham, near the general hospital which accepted her as a medical doctor - given her PhD required full medical training and not just psychological - and the license to be renewed in a matter of time if she kept up her good work.

Harleen had to admit she was surprised that Gotham General accepted her so easily, but it was not like she would be around mental patients any longer. She just wanted to continue to help people; a lot of them called her crazy for loving a madman and throwing her life away, but Harley inside her erupted internally. How could they ever call her crazy just because she _loved_ someone who knew her inner secrets?

Joker hadn't come for her yet, not that she'd given up. But she knew what to expect from him: his wrath like last time. Bud and Lou were on guard for her, in case he tried to hit her, their snarls told her when she informed them. She'd gasped. "Babies, Mistah J will not hurt me as long as you both are here, you know that!" Nevertheless, they reared back and bared their teeth for her. Some part of her mind whispered to her: _They've changed their minds about Mistah J altogether._

She remembered the day she left the courthouse and into the taxi cab that Joan had been kind to get for her and take her to the apartment serving as a halfway house for her. It might become her own if she chose to not feel like moving again, or if she got her financial house in order, or the two combined. She liked to decorate, so she got the prettiest of things to make it a real home to her. She had wonderful, romantic lace curtains a young girl could dream of, soft Danish furniture, as well as a few eye-catching additional decorations. For example, on the wall was a three-part painting of a rose to symbolize the love that never faded - as this rose never would in its form. On the coffee table was a unique setting of a birdcage and realistic-looking songbirds, the flowers inside bursting with flowers resembling something out of one of Monet's paintings. Another in particular on one of her other tables was a sculpture of frosted hands holding a crystal heart. Harley just wanted her home to be filled with so much love she still had to give.

The babies had missed her when she got home after a long shift. Her patients loved her, it seemed, but there were times she could see a few of them looking at her with hate and knowing what she did that they would not forgive her for. Not that she blamed them, but was moving on really too much to ask?

According to the papers, Mistah J was busy as ever, but it appeared he'd heard of the order and decided she was not worth anything anymore. It broke Harley's heart as she found herself looking at the ring from him once more. _A broken promise._ She was tempted to take the ring off at some point before she decided against it and wanted to keep this part of her Joker on her being. "Well, babies," she said to the hyenas as she pulled off her shoes and socks after hanging her coat and purse, "it's dinner time."

But just when she was about to take out the large ham to bake from the pantry, the doorbell rang, and she shrieked, jumping nearly out of her skin and spinning around with the babies. Who could it be visiting her at this late hour? Hope sprang that it might be her puddin' after all, but as she hurried for the door and threw it open with a grin on her face that her knight had come at last -

"Oh, Professor Crane!" she exclaimed, feeling her smile fade at once.

He canted his head forward with a slight smile. "And a good evening to you, too."

"When did you...get out of Arkham?" Yesterday, she'd heard that he'd been finalizing his own release, shocking her to her core and making her smile that another great friend she'd known was free as she was. That meant they could do anything they wanted now, but what was Jonny going to do with his life like she?

"Not that long ago," Jonathan answered, drawing his coat closer around his lanky figure. "I see you're faring well yourself. And it's a surprise they allowed you on the staff at Gotham General."

"Yeah, and it's great!" She stepped aside for him to come in, and the babies barked and rounded on him, but didn't jump him to the ground. "Now, now, babies, be good to the good professor!" Harley scolded.

He grunted but smiled after pushing them off. "Indeed, but it's good to see you both." His attention shifted back to her. "Harley, I apologize if this is a bad time..." he started, then left it there, his posture suddenly nervous that it made her frown. The last time they spoke, it was not well when it had to do with her puddin'. Now that she thought of it, the awkward tension was renewed between her and Jonathan despite the weeks turning into months that passed since then. She had tried so hard to think of how to make it up to him, to patch up the only friendship she had left when Pamela took off, but nothing good had come to mind.

He might be here, at her apartment, for the same reasons. He had missed her as she missed him, but now that he WAS here, it begged a lot of questions. "Jonny, how can I...apologize to you?" she asked softly, reaching down to pet Lou's nose when he butted himself against her knee, sensing her uncertainty. "Mistah J has not come back to me."

"So I have heard. And the fact an order was placed," Crane stated, walking away from her and making way into the living room. "Which means you are in no way allowed to be in contact with him unless you want to go to Blackgate for the rest of your life, given your history." He looked at her sharply.

"Harley, I'm not here to fight you. Not anymore. I'm here because of the obvious heartbreak. Never in my life did I think I would meet someone like you, to fill my days with such light in a dark place I have always lived - but in the end, you always run back to the Joker. I have grown tired of trying to save you as Pamela has become, but here I am now because we are both away from Arkham, and I want to do the one thing that I have kept bottled for so long."

She felt herself tremble with stunned surprise that she never thought she would hear this from him - or anyone else who wasn't Mistah J. "Jonathan..."

"I'm in love with you, Harleen Quinzelle. I'm not doing this the way you would have expected it," he said, almost desperate and tired, reaching out and taking her hands into both of his. "But I'm telling you that I have felt this way for as long as I've known you. If you take me now, I won't ever hurt you, take you for granted, and so many other things. I have never done this before, so please don't make me regret this. I want you to marry me."

~o~

 _"I don't know how I can repay either of you for this - but I also do not see the point of an expensive ring for both of us," he insisted when the Riddler and Mad Hatter both brought him to downtown Gotham where Nygma had a friend and partner who was a back alley jeweler, and given he was out of the asylum now, he wasn't sure if this was a good idea. It was not only the fact Edward decided wedding rings were in order based on price on Crane's part, but the fact it was the circumstance -_

 _"Oh, pish-posh," Tetch hushed, tapping his arm. "This is the most wonderful moment for you and Miss Quinn. Don't object and shy away from true happiness."_

 _"Oh, Edward!" The woman was African American, very lovely and somewhere in early thirties, dressed according to her heritage if not bordering on costume apparel. "It's been a long while. What can I do for you?"_

 _Nygma cleared his throat and motioned towards the former professor. "Dalila, this is Jonathan Crane, a very good partner of mine. He is looking for a wedding duo for himself and a very special lady..."_

 _"I got just the selection, but I'm afraid more on the way," the woman answered, smiling with a twinge of sadness that Edward waved off._

 _"That won't matter, but my friend Jonathan will know it when he sees it, won't you, Jonathan?"_

 _All eyes were trained on him that he knew he could not back out now. He grumbled to himself and nodded. He was brought over to the table where an interesting selection of wedding rings were displayed on rich blue velvet as if on a real retail visual. Each available selection was separated from white gold to yellow gold; according to Dalila, rose-gold had been difficult to obtain as of lately given the issue with Rupert Thorne and the Batman taking much of the lessers - one for the business, the other to clean up the filth._

 _The first one Jonathan found himself interested in was a dual-textured silver ring, the spirals ranging from sleek to diamond-set, both ends coiling like snakes ending each with a single diamond. It was quite...elegant, but somehow it didn't seem like a wedding ring. Next was the traditional, classic and simple silver band, but it wasn't entirely appealing despite being in his set-in-his-mind price range, and Jervis insisted he not think of the money, that he leave it to him and Edward. "It's our gift to you and the girl, March," he insisted. "Only think about her happiness and yours."_

 _Happiness involving keeping her safe from Joker. He snorted and doubted she'd take this well, but who knew? Another ring was pure glamor, set with over thirty dazzling diamonds, but while it would rapture Harley at first attention, he knew it would wear off in time. Silver and diamonds went well, but it might not with her. Given that, this was too common and bordered on a socialite's tastes. The last silver band, flushed with seven brilliants, was no good either. Silver had not been successful, so he could only hope yellow gold did the trick._

 _What was the matter with him?_ Perhaps because I have never done this before, never paid much attention to trivial matters.

 _Ignoring the simple band like last time, he moved onto more detailed. The first yellow gold to catch his attention - and somehow he found himself drawn to this one more than the rest even though he had yet to look. It looked like it could pass off as a woman's engagement and wedding pair, for the main band was plain and centered with a round diamond, the next part a criss-cross of winking smaller ones - only it was one combined. It seemed to stand out from the others._

 _Dalila seemed to know what he was thinking, for she was smiling. "I see she has caught your eye, Dr. Crane. This is one of the most sought-after, and rare to find these days." She picked it up and held it out to him. "I'll keep it to the side if you want to continue," she promised._

 _Jonathan agreed, taking note of the next one to follow, which was a sculpture of golden waves and no gems, and then another which looked like it could have come from the late 1800s with its delicate engraving set with five diamonds...but his attention kept going back to the one saved just for him, his head telling him this was the one._

 **I knew I wanted to do this from the beginning: Jonathan coming to his senses and deciding asking Harley to marry him would be the one way to protect her from Joker and anyone else. This is the story's vital point - and imagine the terrifying events to come when it gets back to Joker.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I was inspired by season 1 of Outlander, episode 7 titled "The Wedding", for this next chapter. :) After this, it is vacation time for me, given I won't be writing - but that doesn't mean I won't be brainstorming and getting inspiration. The same goes for the next chapter of my finale in the Vorta Brides Trilogy, "Yelgrun and Lynet: Chosen for the Marriage Bed".**

 **Thanks to "Mad Love", the origin behind the meeting of Harley Quinn and the Joker.**

Chapter Four

"Professor Crane..." she gasped, taken aback altogether, her head spinning that she thought she was going to the faint, and the babies sensed her behavior and dove on either side of her to support her.

 _I want you to marry me..._

The words kept repeating over and over in her head that her vision was dotted with spots, blotting out the man before her now, stepping back when the hyenas snarled at him for making her like this. "I'm terribly sorry that I did this to you, Harley, but I'm telling you the truth."

Harley really wanted to accept it, her heart beating so fast in the way it always did with Mistah J - why was she so confused? Jonathan Crane was a good man, he never abandoned her, and he always knew what was right and what wasn't.

"I can't do this." She turned away from him, tears stinging the corners of her eyes that it made him even more upset.

"The Joker doesn't love you, Harleen! He never did! Why can't you see it? Why don't you see that everything he told you was a lie? He had you played for a fool from the moment the both of you met," he insisted, taking her by the arm and turning her around to look at him in the eyes. "What did he see in you that he had to sweep you off your feet, destroy the life you had - and the potential you had to give only to let your heart get the best of you?! What did he tell you that made you _sympathize_ with him?"

She tore away from him, slapping his hands away. "Stop it! He told me things! Secret things that he never told anyone else! He told only ME!" Her cheeks burned with hurt and heartbreak. He came to her home and thought to force her to forget about the man who told her he loved her and shared what no one else knew about him, thought to ask her to marry him for _what_ purpose?! How could he do this to her?!

"Like what?" Crane countered hotly. "The time his father took him to the... _aquarium_ for the first time?"

Harley stopped herself there. He...Joker...her _puddin'_...the love of her life - _He lied to me?!_ "He said it was the...circus..." she whispered brokenly, feeling weak now and looking down at the floor, blankly and unaware of the whimpering Bud and Lou. "He told me the only time his father laughed when..." Now she couldn't finish now that the horrible truth dawned on her, and Jonathan was still speaking, respecting her space and monotoned.

"He has a million of them...Harleen," he said softly. "And given the Batman has faced him off longer than with any of us, he would say the same. The Joker is not the charming funny man you thought he was. He hurt you as he hurt millions of others, and I won't let him do it to you anymore. I'm not him; I love you."

When was the last time anyone made her cry like this? She found herself thinking back to all those times Joker threw her out for any mistake she made, counting that one time which led her to meet Pamela Isley for the first time. Red hated him, tried and failed, and then she left Harley in the end. To which the blonde hated herself for now. She would give anything to find her best friend, tell her she was sorry and a myriad of other things... "Why do you love me, Jonny?" she whispered, looking up at him now, seeing the shocked surprise.

"Why?" he repeated stunned. "Because all my life I lived alone, living nothing but darkness that makes me who I am, what society hates me for. But it's always been you to make me smile, but it killed me to see you with that madman, and to know you never turned out to be the breakthrough, young mind I believed you could have become if not for him. But now that you have been ordered to never see him again, I want to have a future with you. I want to keep you safe from him if he does ever try to take you back."

Harley shook her head. A part of her still loved Mistah J - but she hated him now for lying to her. She wanted to let him go now that Jonathan Crane was here for her, swearing all these things that her puddin' never did for her, said he would protect her...and she never realized she needed it until now. She always wanted to get married and have a family, and now it would happen.

Another realization dawned on her: _I want to love Jonny, too, but is it the same as it was for Mistah J? My heart pounded with him, but I'm afraid because it's not the same with this one in front of me..._

It scared her to think she might not end up loving Jonathan the way he claimed to love her.

~o~

Everything had happened so much in five more months to go by. He and Harley had been together since his turn to be released from Arkham, and he moved in with her and the hyenas. They lived like a normal, happy couple, being like they used to be with each other, and she loved nothing more than to just cuddle with him or to help him out with his work - he got his old chemical company up and running again with help from Wayne Enterprises and the generosity of Bruce Wayne - and the babies would crawl over the both of them.

Crane never thought he would ever find life to be...decent again. He had no means to be like everyone else, preferring his independence from every branch in Gotham. Crane Chemicals was welcomed as a new partner of Wayne Enterprises, yet he didn't feel like he deserved such importance. He was no one special - no one who didn't have his kind of record, anyway. He didn't care, however, about how people thought of him. As long as they left him be, he was fine with his life now - and Harley, his fiancée, was all that mattered as well as Tetch and Nygma.

The wedding planning was taking its time, no date yet, because the ceremony was going to be a theme of an English tea garden, suggested by Jervis and brightly accepted by the bride. Something soft and nothing lavish, but she was only going to get married once, same for Jonathan. He didn't care how it was, but only wanted to marry her and make her happy. The doctors at Arkham, with the exception of Leland and Bartholomew, thought he couldn't love...but he did.

~o~

Harley was not sure if she could ever get used to this new relationship, but she didn't mean that in a bad way.

One day she was surprised at home on a day off with a ringing of the doorbell. She seldom had any more visitors with the exception of Eddie and Jervis, and her few new friends made at Gotham General, but none of her new ones were as special as - "Red!" she cried, jumping back and gasping at the sight of the Vixen of Vines. She wanted to throw her arms around her friend, but she bit it back as she felt uncomfortable because of the last time they spoke. "Uh...hi."

"Hi," Isley repeated, emerald eyes blinking before a slight smile broke. "We haven't seen each other in almost a year, and that's all you say?"

Harley shuffled from foot to foot. "Well, last time wasn't good."

Ivy huffed. "Indeed, but now I heard about you and...Crane." Her face broke into a wider smile. "What happened? Did Joker give you one more blow that you had enough?" She frowned then. "I don't see any bruises."

The former harlequin stepped aside. There was a lot to catch up on. "Jonny and I are getting married," she answered with a grin.

"Congratulations. But did you get a dress yet?"

"Not yet, Red. Everything else is going well, but I...missed you," Harley confessed, sticking her bottom lip out a little as she realized just how much she did. "I wondered where you went. And buying a wedding dress would have been fun, but not without you, so I didn't go. A couple of my new girlfriends wanted to volunteer, but they weren't you." Because while they might be fun, her true friendship would always be with Pamela. But that also meant Red could not come to her wedding like a regular guest; the police and the Batman would get her again faster than she could let loose her seed saplings to keep them barred away.

Ivy smirked. "Well, then, what are we waiting for? We have to go now and get one, and we have a lot to catch up on. I'll tell you all about Brazil..."

Harley usually was the one to drag the other person out for some fun, so she was fairly surprised that Pamela dragged her out - and leaving the babies at home, but they were house broken - of the apartment and through the streets for bridal shopping. There were so many options, ranging from ballgowns with tulle skirts and sparkling crystal bodices, but they made her feel like a little girl again even though she knew she was at heart...and finally there was a mermaid one that hit home.

It was the very one she wore today, three more months later.

She inhaled and exhaled, feeling like she was on cloud nine. Ivory fitted to her body and flared out, embroidered with rose-gold roses. Her hair was braided sweetly behind her head, the headband sweet and simple with golden pearl flowers. In her ears and around her neck were more pearls, glowing with a hue of soft primrose pink. When she looked at herself in the mirror, feeling sad that Red could not be at her wedding today but was happy that she was with her in spirit because she'd helped Harley pick out this dress and everything.

Now she could not wait to go get married.

They were wed on a cliff overlooking the ocean outside Gotham, under an arch made of pink hydrangeas, sweet peas and roses for a lush, mysterious and romantic touch. There were also orchids at the ends of the arch. He could not stop looking at her, and she could have sworn he was fighting back his emotions. Their guest amount was a number to thirty, small and intimate, which she wanted and he did, too. That was enough for her. And the babies were sitting on their hinds, sniffing and whining their happiness for her.

She tried not to cry, but it was hard, even when she received the ring from Jonathan, and it was everything she could have asked for. And when it was her turn to give him his, that simple golden band that nearly resembled hers, he was hers as she was his now. Their lives were bound.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

No one besides Mistah J and her high school love had ever kissed her...but Jonathan's gentle caress against her mouth made her head spin faster than Joker ever did. He clearly had no real experience with making out with a woman, which made it that much more special. Harley wasn't a virgin, but to know her new husband was? _He's so sweet...and sweeter than Mistah J. He said he won't ever leave me, and he's never lied to me before. I think I'm going to love being married._

Although it begged the question as to whether or not Jonathan wanted children.

"How does it feel to be married?" she asked as soon as they returned to their apartment. Their honeymoon was booked for the day after tomorrow, for the Plaza Hotel in New York City. All she wanted for them was to be pampered and come back regretting their self-indulgence. "I haven't felt so happy, Jonny."

He looked down at her with a slight smile. "I feel...wonderful. I never thought I would be married. I always considered it to be a distraction and a compromise," Jonathan said as he shrugged off his jacket. "But it seems I was wrong."

Harley turned her back to him and sat down at the dresser. "I always wanted this."

He hummed. "You got your wish."

"And to have babies - real babies, not just Bud and Lou," she added, turning around after taking off her jewelry, biting her bottom lip. "Did you want babies?"

Crane's eyes grew to the size of softballs. "Y-you mean...children?" Harley nodded enthusiastically. He cleared his throat and went rigid. "Well, I suppose, but I never...thought about it. I never had a father, so I do not know." He had removed his tie and now sat on the side of the bed facing her. "I was never patient with young ones, younger than college age at least. My own childhood was never good."

Giving him her undivided attention, Harley turned around while in the middle of taking her hair out of the braids and letting curls fall over her shoulders while he told her of his battered early life in the deep south of Georgia, in a town of bad blood and religion as well as being born out of wedlock. The father left before he was born, and his mother left him with her mother who took his innocence by always locking him in a church full of crows behind the house. School life fared no better - Harley could not repeat half the things he told her to herself. Both his grandmother and his bullies were the ones who helped him become what everyone knew him as, and how the study of fear became his life. He had not abandoned it now, just put it on hold until he was finished with Gotham.

"I still want to leave this city behind," he told her upon finishing, "and I want you to come with me."

She had never been away from Gotham, from New York, or anywhere out of the states. It was the only home she'd ever known. Where would they go? "We can go to England, or perhaps a remote Caribbean island, but anywhere so I can retire," Jonathan said passionately. "I'm tired of running, hiding and anything related. I'm half past forty, entirely past my prime, my dear." He sighed, reaching up to rub his eyes. "It's time I settled down."

Harley nodded. She was still unsure about this, but she just wanted to go with the flow and see how life would play out now. There were still people in Gotham who sneered at her for her past record, and the sensitive side of her wanted to get rid of it once and for all. "I want it, too," she said finally, standing up. "And right now, I want us to have fun tonight before we...relax." She grinned and walked over to stand in front of him. "You ready, Jonny?"

He leaned back, staring at her with a blink, then another. "Ready?" he repeated, confused.

"To make love," she clarified. "It's traditional."

Oh, he was adorable. He was past forty and inexperienced in intimate favors, making him a better husband than Joker ever would be. Joker had seemed to enjoy himself more than he wanted her to, now that she thought of it. "I suppose," Jonathan said after a moment, swallowing before sitting up again. "I don't quite know how we begin. But I know that I don't want this to be ruined for us both."

Harley felt a little sad. "If you're not ready..."

"No!" he exclaimed, standing quickly. "I mean, I don't want to put this off. I've just never done this before. You know that it should go -"

"Oh, hush." She laughed and waved it off, reaching to take both his hands to stand. "Jonathan, I love you." Now that she said it, the more real it was and she knew he was the prince she always wanted. "I'll help you. So, why don't you help me out of my dress?" She turned her back to him, offering the view of the corset back. Some moments passed that felt like forever, before she finally felt the tugging of her back telling her he was unlacing her. The more laces tugged, the lighter the weight that would soon leave her naked to his eyes.

The dress fell around her feet, showing her nude form save for her pink lace bikini. Her hands flew to her chest as she turned back around to face him, but it wasn't self-preservation. Jonathan, however, looked away shyly. "It's okay. You can look at me," she said softly, dropping her arms and then reaching down to push her underwear down. When he finally looked at her, his face did not change, but his eyes sparkled. Harley's figure was perfect as a gymnast, as she'd been one when she was younger. Her breasts were full and her hips flared, everything athletic that Jonathan Crane never thought he would have beside his own body. Speaking of which...

"I want to see you now."

Jonathan was self-conscious about his body, she could see. No woman had ever seen him before, and neither had she. But based on his hesitancy, his body must not be that good in appearance. "I won't bite," she promised him, reaching for his shirt and unbuttoning it. He didn't even try to stop her, just remained ever rigid. He turned his face to the left, not wanting to see her reaction - and when she opened his shirt, she gasped softly. His chest had soft musculature, but the skin was stretched so tightly you could see the ribs, and his stomach curved inwards. Lack of exercise, malnourishment and all things related were the causes.

He was nothing like Joker...but he was so handsome.

"You find me hideous." Jonathan's tone was single-handedly devoid of emotion. She gasped at him again, a little louder this time. How could he think that? He wasn't in classic shape like Mistah J, but he was a human being - and she would show him.

"Not at all," Harley replied, reaching for the waist of his pants and finishing the job of leaving him as bare as she was. When she saw him, she beheld the sight of his lanky body - a scarecrow's body, but naturally attractive if not perfect - and the contours of his waist and hips. She circled him slowly, caressing every inch of his nakedness just to show him she wasn't repulsed; she moved from the left side, ghosting over his firm hip and then over his buttocks, smooth and firm. His back looked no better than the front of his torso; there were scars from obvious whiplash. She gritted her teeth as she damned his grandmother for this. Her own had been sweet and gentle. He shivered at her touch, trembling visibly at the affectionate caress. When she came back around to stand in front of him, her eyes fell to Jonathan's manhood as she continued to touch his chest, gazing lovingly at the pulse-pounding sight: sparse, red-brown pubic hair circled the length which was a perfect six inches, thick and vibrating with arousal. The pooling between her own legs was even better than her last love would ever make her. Looking at her husband's face, she saw him still unable to look her in the eyes, still shy about his own insecurities.

At the moment, Jonathan Crane was not Scarecrow, the all-powerful Master of Fear - at heart and ever would be - but just a man. A man self-conscious about the nightmare his body still lived on the outside, believing he would never be worthy of a woman's caress.

This man was more of a natural than the chemical-bleach ever would be.

"Harley?" Jonathan frowned when he finally glanced down at her as she knelt before him. This was the one sure way she was not afraid to do, to show him he had every reason to feel comfortable about himself. Moving her face closer, she got a whiff of his musky scent and then ran her lips over his sensitive skin - and he was nothing bad to kiss. He was so wonderful she would not use vulgar terms to explain it.

And the noises he made her joyous to listen to. He gasped and moaned, whimpered, and his hands came to rest on her head, just petting her and trying not to grab her locks for a painful pull. "Oh, Harley."

"You like that?" she asked, looking up with a small smile. His returned was broader, now filled with confidence.

"I do."

She giggled and stood. "Take me to the bed now, Jonny."

A virgin felt pain for the first time, but she was not worried as she lost it a long time ago; Jonathan was worried more for her than himself. "Are you sure I am not hurting you?" he asked when he shifted his hips so they were aligned with hers. She nodded, giving him a calm, loving gaze. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her right shoulder, then ghosted down to give the top of her breast the same treatment before briefly flicking his tongue out over her nipple, drawing a sizzle and sending it throughout her body. She moaned; he was doing so well for a forty-five-year-old innocent. _And even better than Mistah J ever did._

Her hands came up and massaged his shoulders before going down to gently scratch his back with her nails, enough to give him the pleasure he was giving her. His skin must be an inferno if he was quivering that much, which was a good thing. Jonathan sighed at her touch. He had never felt such intense longing before, and he was so lost he almost lost track of what he was doing, looking down between their bodies with a pink blush to his cheeks. "Oh, forgive me, I don't know..."

"You're doing good," she assured him, shifting her hips to his. "Go ahead; you won't hurt me."

When he slid into her, a great wave of overwhelming pleasure washed over her. Harley's body arched upwards against Jonathan's, her arms wrapping around him and bringing him down as their movements began slow and then picked up when the friction became more and sparking flames that rose higher and higher to a point when they found themselves uncontrolled in their coupling, reversing their positions so she'd be on top of him, and vice versa when he couldn't stand it anymore, not to be negative.

Harley didn't think she'd ever feel this great about lovemaking again.

And Jonathan never thought he would enjoy it this much.

And when it was all over, which felt like forever and she had lost track of how many times... "Jonny...you were awesome," she gasped. "You were better than him."

Jonathan knew who she meant by "him", and turned to offer her a slight smile of gratitude. He was laying on his back now beside her. "I'm pleased to know that."

"Aw, don't be shy." Harley turned so she was facing him. "You're the greatest lover - and the perfect husband ever." She kissed the tip of his nose. When she pulled back, she saw two tears roll down his cheeks. He was crying because he was happy; it must have been a long time since anyone praised him and meant every word they said to him.

 **Now that I remember one of my favorite stories long before this fic, "Strange Love" by Sunflare2k5, it recalls the tender love Jonathan gave Harley in contrast to Joker pleasing himself instead of her. That story is worth a read. :) And sweet Scarecrow really made her happy instead of himself, and to see him break down when Harley confessed her feelings made me weep, too. She even told him he was the best man she ever had, and I couldn't agree more.**

 **Read and review. :) But no flames, please. Bad comments put me in a foul mood.**


	5. Chapter 5

**BACK from vacation, and here is the next chapter. :D I even got something in here from "Home Alone 2". XD You'll be laughing it off with this.**

 **The song first playing is "Little Red Wagon" by Miranda Lambert; take a listen on YouTube. :D Which reminds me of Harley and Joker - if only in other times she did get over him. Another great country hit appears only by being mentioned by name and artist.**

Chapter Five

To finally be away from Gotham and for two weeks at one of New York's most elite hotels - it was everything that Harley could have asked for. This meant no Joker bothering them, even though Nygma was keeping tabs on the clown to make sure he didn't come anywhere near the happy couple. Isley was doing the same, and back to what she did best. Crane was not a fool to assume otherwise regarding her motives to return. The Brazilian island which she temporarily remained exiled had been bombed by nuclear scientists that she fled with her life - and with a vengeance.

This car reflected off the song currently playing from the radio, that Harley had to be singing as she drove them and nearly got them killed on the road trip.

 _You only love me for my big sun glasses_

 _And my Tony Lomas_

 _And my Dodge Dart classic_

 _You said "I'll be Johnny and you'll be June_

 _I'll ride with you to the moon"_

 _But guess what?_

Jonathan chuckled as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, trying not to laugh too hard. The song reminded him very much of a certain someone else, and paralleled ironically enough to reality. Only when he watched as she got deep into singing and swaying her head and upper body side to side, he had to be the one to take the rein and remind her about the road. His new wife was well aware of what she was doing, but she was too excited for her own good.

 _You can't ride in my little red wagon_

 _The front seat's broken and the axle's draggin_

 _You can't step to this backyard swagger_

 _You know it ain't my fault when I'm walkin' jaws droppin' like_

 _Ooh, ah, ooh, ah_

"Harley," Crane said loudly over the music, trying not to hurt her feelings, "I want us both to make it to the Plaza in one piece, so can you at least be careful and pay attention to the road for both our sakes?!" _I might be past forty, but I don't want to spend my first days of marriage dead!_

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes - well, hidden by sunglasses rimmed with bright red, obviously - and stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "Sorry, Jonathan," she said softly. "I was just having some fun." But before she could continue or he could answer, the next verse of the song came up, and she was back to singing again, this time keeping her eyes on the road.

 _Oh, heaven help me_

 _I've been sowing wildflower seeds_

 _And chasing tumble weeds_

 _But that's just who I be_

 _And you're just trying to slow this rolling stone_

 _But I'm on to you baby_

 _So guess what?_

"Joker won't be able to ride your little red wagon anymore," Jonathan said in spite of himself, then felt his cheeks burn when she burst out laughing. Now WHY did he say that? _Because it's true,_ his reasonable mind said. _The clown won't get what is yours now._

"Ya right, baby." She reached over and gave him a pat on the shoulder, still beaming. "I might be blonde and from Brooklyn, the babies can do tricks, and I might do everything he did...but you know what?" Her teeth flashed pearly white, even brighter than the sun shining. "He's done riding my new little red wagon that I got just for you and me!" With that, she leaned over and kissed him full on the lips -

\- and in time for a fast buzz to zoom past them that a vehicle had to ring the horn to get both their attentions. Harley shrieked and got control of the wheel again in time for the light to turn red. No impact behind them, lucky. Crane came so close to cursing her out even though he never did it before, with the exception of "hell" and "damn" on occasion. "Harley," he said warningly, taking off his sunglasses and squinting at her. He gritted his teeth to keep himself together. "Today is not a good day to get killed. We can always find a place to pull over so I can get us to the hotel safe and sound..."

Her attention jerked its way ahead, and she gasped loud enough to startle him. "No need, Jonny! We're here! Ahead!" She pointed excitedly before them...and Jonathan felt his jaw drop.

The New York Plaza Hotel lay dead ahead, to their right, in all its regality without proper words.

"So since the party's tomorrow night, baby," Harley was saying as she _carefully_ \- and about time, indeed, "we're just gonna check in, relax, and have a good time. So...much...fun!"

The Plaza was called a "cultural oasis amid a bustling metropolis", keeping the spirits high. Very few middle-class and lower class citizens came, so it sickened Jonathan that people like him and Harleen did not get the opportunity. A new song came on the radio, this time being about "take me down to the little white church". _"Little White Church" by Little Big Town?_ He huffed, but she didn't notice. _Another of her and the clown._

This room they were checked under was a suite that had a grand master bedroom and a guest room in case any of their friends - small to none chance happening of that - as well as filled with more than enough opulence than Jonathan Crane could have asked for, and his new bride was more than over cloud nine. The suite also offered white-gloved butler service for all guests, old world luxury and elegance mix-matched with today's tech standards such as wireless Internet and television.

Harley was looking around at the overwhelming grandeur of the main lobby with the eyes of the child she behaved to be. "Wow…it's perfect," she gasped, dropping her suitcase and turning to Jonathan, throwing her arms around him and pulling him down for a kiss on the cheek. "Being married is so much fun."

He chuckled a little as he had it in him to look around to see some people looking at them and half of them disapproving of PDA. He caught the eye of the concierge not too far away from them…and knew right away that this one was going to be the prime nuisance of the service. The man was looking at him as though he could already tell there was something fishy…

"My dear, we need to hurry," he whispered sharply, tearing eye contact away at once. "We are getting upstairs and soon." Even though they were both free people, some people who still knew them even outside Gotham - New York City primarily - would not let go of the past that easily.

~o~

The honeymoon suite had so many words that Harleen Crane could not decipher for her overwhelmed mind.

Rich Old World style...sumptuous textiles and exquisite furnishings...seriously, she and Jonny could be living in the time of the ambiance of Louis XV. There was a dining room, a library, the great living room and state-of-the-art kitchen with inspiration from Viking...and the master bedroom offered a spectacular view of the avenue and park. Everything from their bedroom to the adjacent bathroom was bedecked in twenty-carat-gold accents and mosaic tiles. And up to today's standards, there was unlimited Internet access and flat screen TV with a selection of movies both old and new.

"Well," she gushed as she flopped onto the bed, her long bare legs dangling over the edge, "whatcha wanna do now before we unpack, baby?" She batted her lashes at him that he smirked to one corner of his mouth. Her dress was cute, short and sexy, pink with white lace accents. The skirt rode up enough just to show she wasn't wearing any...

"No underwear? That is very naughty, Mrs. Crane," he chided with a finger waving at her.

"Aw, but it works."

He was walking over her, all the while unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it out from his belted trousers. Wearing his tie, vest and collared shirt turned her on to no end. She thought about them both hitting the bath ahead of time, before his escaped arousal from the front of his pants made her decide it could wait. The mint bath gel could wait, and after that the massage lotion mixed with pepper, rosemary and sage, as well as lavender.

Harley squealed when her hubby joined her, his loins burning against hers and his manhood searing her ravenously.

 _Wow...still unbelievable,_ she thought when they both fell flat onto the bed together after maybe two rounds. After the long drive, they were both still energized for two go's in the master bed.

They spent the day at the pool, her in her bikini and cropped top striped in spring colors and gold metallic while he was just in his fitting shorts and t-shirt - she thought he was the cutest thing ever, but he didn't look too happy. "Oh, don't be a spoilsport," she'd chided. "You look great. Even if no one else thinks so, it'll be all me."

If the pool had been abandoned save for the two of them, they would have gotten pretty crazy and thrilled with the idea that they could be walked in on. But Jonathan did not want to come back tonight when it would be, so now was the time to relax. He was going to be out for a little while to pick up some groceries as he didn't want to go too crazy with the room service with tonight's exception - lamb with cooked onions for her and filet mignon with asparagus for him - because they were married now. She was alone for the moment; who knew when Jonny would return, not that she minded.

Right now she needed a break. This place was so much fun to be in. Luxury, romance, fun…you name it. She went out into the living area where there was a flatscreen over the fireplace, wearing a burgundy nightgown with a lacy neck, eating three big scoops of chocolate-and-vanilla-swirl ice cream, watching _Angels With Even Filthier Souls,_ a sequel to a 30's gangster film that Mistah J didn't like her seeing before; when he caught her, he "punished" her via the "wheelbarrow" from an edition of the Kama Sutra.

She watched as the lovely young woman in a long, vintage dress and a fur coat walked into the living area where her boyfriend - an older man, and a gangster, from the previous film who wasn't to be reasoned with - was glaring into the fire. For some odd reason, Harley felt the parallels this had with that of her own life with Mistah J.

The man turned his head abruptly. _"Hold it right there,"_ he commanded.

The woman, whose name was Susie, gave a shy little smile. _"It's me, Johnny."_

 _"I knew it was you,"_ he spat, putting his cigarette out. _"I could_ smell _ya getting off the elevator."_

 _"It's…gardenias, Johnny. Your favorite."_

Johnny was now standing and menacing. _"You was here last night, too, wasn't it?"_

Susie gave him a "baffled" expression as she smoothed back her hair, even though it was already up. _"I was singing at the Blue Monkey last night."_

"She was not!" Harley protested in disgust. "She was smoochin' with your brother."

 _"You was here…and you was_ smoochin' _with my brother."_

Harley beamed, triumphant, and took a bite of cream. "See?" she pointed, just as Susie accused of it all being a "dirty rotten lie". And her gangster boyfriend wasn't buying it, as expected. He was like Mistah J, in so many ways. _Once again._

 _"Don't give me that. You been smoochin' with everybody: Snuffy, Al, Leo, Little Moe with the gimpy leg, Cheeks, Boney Bob, Cliff…I can go on forever, baby."_

 _"You got me all wrong!"_

 _"Alright, I believe ya…"_ He reached into the trunk of the Christmas tree…and pulled out what her puddin' was known to use from time to time. _"…but my Tommy gun don't!"_

Susie's eyes grew the size of alien saucers. _"Johnny," s_ he gasped, _"you're the only duck in my pond…!"_

He seemed to enjoy making her crack from fear. _"Get down on your knees and tell me you love me,"_ he mocked, sinisterly.

She did so and tried to plead her case. _"Baby…I'm over the moon for you!"_

 _"You gotta do better than that!"_

 _"If my love was an ocean, I would have to take_ two _airplanes to get across it!"_ Susie knew that this was her last chance to spare her own life…everything depended on it. For a moment, Harley envisioned herself in her place, and Mistah J with his prized Tommy gun. And the smile on Johnny's face clearly matched her former puddin's.

 _"Maybe I'm off my engines…but I believe ya."_ But his tone clearly said otherwise. _"That's why I'm gonna let you go."_ Then his voice rose to a menacing octave. _"I'm gonna give ya to the count of three...to get your lousy, lyin', lowdown, floor-flushing carcass_ out my door _."_

Harley gasped in terror, her hands gripping the bowl so hard her knuckles turned white. "She's rat bait…"

 _"One…"_ A rise and a step backwards. _"Two…"_ Another step back.

And then the chain reaction of gunshots began there, and Harley slapped her hands over her eyes to block out all vision. The maniacal laughter of Johnny murdering his unfaithful lover was too much, and enough to give her nightmares for a week…

And then it stopped. _"Three. Merry Christmas, you filthy animal."_ Four more shots. _"And a Happy New Year…"_

That final gunshot forced her to pause the screen then and there. Harley screamed so loud that the door that had opened and she didn't know it slammed shut behind her, and the arrival had nearly dropped the bagged groceries. The look on Jonathan's face was far from amused, but at least he wouldn't kill her like Joker.

~o~

He had promised the Cranes that he would keep an eye on the clown as the word of the wedding would get back to him eventually. The word got out in the paper, which would definitely spark a fire. He kept the papers himself because it was one of the best things he could do - much of the time was for clues he could catch himself that no one else could.

But in this case, it was a memento for the big day of the rest of his friend's life.

But that still left the Joker, a certain abusive ex-boyfriend, to deal with.

Edward sat on the worn couch of his current apartment, looking down at the spyware device that captured everything he needed, hot on the Clown Prince of Crime's trail, and what it held was extremely disturbing that he began to fear for Jonathan and Harleen's lives. He really needed Isley on this.

 **The suite Jonathan and Harley stay at was based off the Royal Suite of the real NY Plaza.** **I did research on the place for the fact it was modernized up to today's standards with technology, in contrast to the 90s movie.**

 **I love Home Alone 2 more than the first movie for some reason, out of all of the movies. XD Especially one certain scene much later on to come. I also always thought "Little White Church" by Little Big Town paralleled to Harley and Joker, and how Ivy tried to tell her friend that she was with a bad man. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and a review is appreciated.**

 **And speaking of Joker, let's just see what he's up to now in the near future. Duh duh duh.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope this chapter was also worth the wait. I was busying myself with the finale of my Vorta Brides Trilogy, in which four more chapters are left. This one was also difficult to cover as I didn't want to rush the good stuff anytime soon.**

 **I also forgot to mention in the last chapter that I found the name "Susie" for the movie gangster's girlfriend on the Home Alone wiki.**

Chapter Six

 _"Nygma, to what do I owe the honor?"_

"Dr. Isley, a pleasure to you, too," the Riddler answered smoothly as he sat at the desk of his apartment, hidden for now and with paperwork scattered in front of him. With great genius came great disorganization. But his attention diverted to the device in his right hand while he held the phone in the left. "I was doing my own private detective investigation for the sake of two people we are both extremely acquainted with."

 _"Oh, Harley. What is it, Joker trying to win her back? When he knows by now that she is taken by someone else?"_ Pamela asked, and he could just HEAR the raised eyebrows in her tone.

He clicked his tongue. "Precisely why I called you, my dear vixen," he said smoothly. "While our lovebirds are away on their honeymoon, I have taken it upon myself to, shall we say...spy on the clown to make sure he isn't doing any scheming when we both should know better. I have not brought in Tetch, but I will soon. We're going to have to call in as many reinforcements as we need."

 _"We should,"_ she agreed, _"and I got my babies ready to strike when needed. But tell me what you have, Edward."_

"I'll put it up for you," he said, setting the phone beside the recorder as he pressed the PLAY button to show what Joker had done and what he would do next...

~o~

"Honestly, Harleen," Jonathan said in disgust as he examined the cover of the film with a shake of the head, "if there was ever one thing in life I could ever agree with that clown on, it would be _this_. The last time you watched this, you screamed so loud that I broke one of my vials of fear toxin." He glared up at Harley, who stuck her lower lip out in a pout.

"Ya know I was sorry for that, and I am now with this. I'm sorry I made you jump, Jonny."

He sighed, looking down and running his hands over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just be pleased I am nothing like the clown. I won't bend you over my knee or anything else. If you recall, one of my broken chemicals happened to burn a hole in my pants that I'd never been so humiliated in my entire life compared to those miserable cretins at Gotham State, and those who came before them."

She could hardly contain her giggles. "It was funny, and it was only me to see that, baby. I've seen worse on Mistah J," she told him with a wave of the hand. Crane scoffed and picked up the bags to carry into the kitchen, having left them dropped at the door.

"If you can use 'worse' properly, how would you explain what I happened to find in our bedroom earlier today?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, referring to the inflatable she'd bought while in Gotham. "An _inflatable clown_? Harleen, are you ever going to start getting mature playthings? The last thing I need is passerbys laughing at us in the pool!" She gaped at him, the hurt returning in her eyes, but before she could answer, there was a calm knocking of their main door. Both went rigid, wondering if it was the clown or any of his men sent to them. Softly but quickly, they crept to the door, and Jonathan did the honors of glancing out the peephole.

The concierge whom Crane regarded suspicious enough was _outside their door. "Housekeeping,"_ they heard him call.

"I told you," he hissed to her. "He has to be an undercover spy doing illegal investigating..." He stopped there and straightened up. "Oh, goodness, or perhaps he was sent in by the _Joker_."

Harley piped up. "I have an idea!"

The plan was smart but otherwise ridiculous. While they worked it out, the sound of the lock of the front door turned and opened by the time they were finished. The bathroom door of the master bedroom was left opened, as was the room's door itself, to let the man know that he should start looking there, first.

Thank God the sound of running water caught his attention. And by the time the concierge, whose name was Mr. Hector, stuck his head into Harley and Jonathan's shared luxury bathing area, she had begun to play the recorded song she'd once heard Mistah J singing that time she caught him in the shower and recorded just for herself.

The silhouette of Bozo the Clown, her favorite inflatable clown given to her by her puddin' on her last birthday before ultimate parting, was dancing to the rhythm of the music in perfect harmony, the arms controlled by Harley hidden behind the curtains as she held the "puppet strings" with two pencils she creatively conducted herself. Her husband watched from the bathroom closet, seeing the concierge himself stick his head in and scowl in disgust at what he didn't know was just a façade to his eyes.

However, when it came to Harley turning Bozo around full-front - the shadow illuminated by the lighting overhead and behind, which was a lamp placed there - the Joker's voice, emitting from the speaker of her recorder, scared the wits out of the man as did the lift of the inflatable hand: _"Get out of here, you nosy little pervert, or I'm gonna slap you silly!"_

Hector was screaming like the little girl he actually was on the inside as he turned and ran out of the suite, leaving Harley to poke her head out from her hiding place, Jonathan from his, both bearing expressions that made it hard to keep a straight face...but they both knew the man would be back without a fight. Their honeymoon had only just got more interesting.

~o~

Months ago, he'd planned to have her taken to see _Phantom of the Opera_ on Broadway. She had seen the movie which had marvelous storytelling of the classic horror tale and did its best to make it a love story. But in Jonathan Crane's case? He counted it as a favorite of his own in his lifetime, because of how a man born disfigured and living as an underground recluse - and a genius who taught himself music and sought to pass it onto a beautiful young opera understudy...whom he fell in love with and grew jealous of her relationship with another man from her younger days. Numerous people rooted for the girl and the Phantom, whom she should have chosen because he had more than the boorish aristocrat. Sometimes Jonathan found himself related to the masked man; they had so much in common.

And with him and Harley going today, it was Christine choosing her Phantom in modern days. He looked down at her and smiled, seeing her loose golden curls and her soft blue dress matching her bright eyes.

"I brought the CD with me," she told him before they got into the theatre. "I can never get enough of the songs - especially _Music of the Night_. It reminds me of you in the good old days." She winked. "But _All I Ask of You_ is definitely for us." Leaning up and on her tip-toes, she pecked him a kiss on the cheek.

The entire time they watched the lavish settings and thundering scores - and everything from the ballet dancers and the infamous collapsing chandelier to the Phantom's underground lair - he found his hand held in Harley's. Never letting go for whatever reasons. In another life, holding his hand would have been classified as a violation of personal space...but this touch was his will to cherish. He returned the gesture and held her when she leaned into him. He was the Phantom, and she was his Christine. No mindless boor would snatch her away - not even the clown.

They departed the theatre with an energy that they wanted to feed when they got back to the hotel. Crane decided to let Harley pick what else to do, and it was the famous tea room. Not that it wasn't attractive with its historic stained glass and renaissance architecture, but Jonathan Crane never thought he would enjoy anything this formal again when he found the appropriate time. And the new Mrs. Crane was giddy with excitement as though she were a little girl again looking for a tea party - something she and Jervis could do when they returned to their lives.

"Tea and sweets, artistic lunch!" she squealed, leaping up and down for emphasis. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the entrance of the hotel, they were greeted with an unwanted and familiar face: Mr. Hector.

And he grinned ear-to-ear even madder than the Cheshire cat. Seeing the gleam in his eyes in addition, Crane knew they were in trouble and had to get her and himself as far as possible now.

"What can we do for you, sir?" he asked with a raised eyebrow that only made the man smile broader to nearly resemble...

"Nothing much, only that you two can come with me to the security office in regardings to the fact I have the Scarecrow and Harley Quinn in my hotel -"

His pathetic attempts to be strong made Crane burst out laughing. _Really, how pathetic, indeed,_ he thought, holding his wife's hand as he retorted. "Honestly, Hector, you're not aware that we are legally sane and sound, just here to enjoy our honeymoon and spare troubles?" he sneered, but even that didn't stop him.

"You can save that for my boss who asked me to keep an eye on you until he got here to settle his score with you and his little girl." Hector's eyes traveled to the side and landed on Harleen, who gasped and looked at Jonathan, who gazed down at her and read the thought in her eyes: _Mistah J is here. He's sent this beast to spy on us._ He nodded his agreement; he always knew there was something about this man - and now they had to make a run for it now. Who knew when the clown was coming at this very moment.

"Run," he whispered to her, and they took off just like that, but not before she threw a punch to Hector's face and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They had to return to Gotham now, to Nygma and the others for help.

Along the way to the elevator, they dodged the clerk woman who checked them both in yesterday, as well as the bellhop who brought their luggage - all of which had been packed since yesterday - and now security would be on the way. Inside the elevator, Harley looked up at him and managed in between gasps, "I got another idea, Jonny..."

 _The greatest trick of all time,_ the manic grin lighting her eyes told him, and he suppressed a groan at whatever childish prank she had now. But it was tame compared to setting off a bomb. After gathering their things, they waited in their bedroom but listened for the front door to open, to which Harley grabbed the remote and turned on the TV in their bedroom, in which _Angels With Even Filthier Souls_ was inside. She heard the door open, and hastily fast forwarded it to the beginning where Johnny himself turned around and ordered, _"Hold it right there."_

The footsteps halted. "This is the concierge, sir." Harley beamed; they bought it! Giddy with excitement, she played Johnny's next lines. But Jonathan tried his best to keep himself unamused as possible - yet found it difficult.

 _"I knew it was you. I could_ smell _ya getting off the elevator."_ No response came. _"You was here last night, too, wasn't it?"_

Hector had been here; he was too dumb to realize that this was a movie character talking to him, but he answered anyways. With security, his two colleagues, and the hotel manager himself listening in. "Yes, sir," he answered hesitantly. "I was."

 _"_ _You was here…and you was_ smoochin _'_ _with my brother._ _"_

Harley nearly burst out laughing when the fictional gangster accused the man whom Jonathan had known was going to be on their tails of gay conduct. And Hector's response made it all the more better. "I'm...I'm afraid you're mistaken, sir." His nervous laugh made Johnny unconvinced.

 _"Don't give me that. You've been smoochin' with everybody. Snuffy, Al, Leo, Little Moe with the gimpy leg, Cheeks, Boney Bob, Cliff…I can go on forever, baby."_

Jonathan did not miss the brief conversation at the mention of "Cliff", who, coincidentally happened to be a security guard with the name. He really nearly burst out laughing at that, as did Harley, but pulled himself together when the concierge spoke again. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. We're looking for two people who happened to be wanted criminals from Gotham City..." _FORMER wanted criminals, and you just had to pull the most idiotic way possible to catch us with help from the staff - I do not know how Joker hired you or what he saw in you for the job._

 _"_ _Alright, I believe ya…_ _"_ Johnny reached into the Christmas tree, on the screen, pulling out his weapon that the fools would never know was fictional. _"_ _…but my Tommy gun don_ _'_ _t!_ _"_ Gasps were heard from outside the room. _"_ _Get down on your knees and tell me you love me."_

He and Harley waited for some time, though they knew they were following the orders. Moments later, she heard the forced out words of "I love you!" from Mr. Hector. Jonathan chuckled to himself and put his hand over his mouth, unlike Harley. Now she doubled over with laughter while keeping her voice down at the same time and fast forwarding to Johnny's _"You gotta do better than that!"  
_

She decided now or never was the time to escape. The whole group outside all yelled out what their leader said before. Leaving the TV off at the last part that happened to be her favorite despite the fact that it had scared her the night before, and like Jonathan, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door.

 _"_ _Maybe I_ _'_ _m off my engines…but I believe ya. That_ _'s_ _why I_ _'_ _m gonna let you go. I_ _'_ _m gonna give ya to the count of three...to get your lousy, lyin_ _'_ _, lowdown, floor-flushing carcass_ out my door. _One…two..."_

And once more, the chain reaction of gunshots, and the couple stopped at the fire exit to see what effect it left on their followers. The concierge, manager, clerk, bell hop, and the security guard named Cliff were all laying on the ground, facedown, with their hands over their heads as though trying to protect themselves from the impending storm. A few doors down the hall were opened, and the occupants were watching on to see what the hell the commotion was, just as Johnny finished his rants and kill. Crane turned to his left to see Harley mouth the words out of habit and for the fun of it.

 _"Three. Merry Christmas, you filthy animal._ _"_ Four more shots. _"_ _And a Happy New Year…_ _"_ And they took off at the last shot.

The fire exit was the best place to go, and he took lead. He never thought he would say this, but - "Harleen, I have to say it was brilliant!" Jonathan said. "I had no doubts for even a moment!"

They reached the end of the stairs, but when he opened the door, they were faced with six, seven men in black and masks, with firearms aimed at them - and among them was a familiar chemical-bleached monster in purple, grinning maliciously especially at Harley, who whimpered and cowered behind her glaring and furious husband.

"Did you miss me, Harley girl?" Joker said, though he was far from pleased to see either of them.

 **Hector was also the name of the concierge who got suspicious of Kevin staying at the Plaza, and played by none other than Tim Curry who has a reputation to play creepy characters. :D And the scene where he is confronted by the unseen movie with his colleagues is memorable, and the ONLY reason I watch the movie. I had it planned from the beginning to have these events worked into this story, if I haven't said it yet.**

 **I love the Phantom of the Opera so much, both the 1986 musical as well as the 2004 version, that I had to mention it, too. It's nothing new, too, besides the fact Scarecrow and the Phantom are so much alike; other Batman fans and fics written have it referenced from time to time and used as inspiration.**

 **And uh oh, now the couple is in danger. :O Stay tuned!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Now I'm BACK, and giving it my full attention after completing my Vorta Brides Trilogy with "Yelgrun and Lynet: Chosen for the Marriage Bed". :D I pray this next chapter was worth the wait.**

Chapter Seven

 _"Harley is nothing but a little_ traitor! _Leaving me like that and going for the scrawny scientist who's never given his manhood to anyone in his life! He's nowhere near half the man that I am!"_ Joker never joked around when it came to someone's life, so when Pamela Isley listened to what Nygma bugged on the clown for the sake of the two people whose best interests they looked out for, this was deadly serious that it made her dig her nails into her own palms.

There had been the sound of glass breaking; it could be anything the Joker broke for the sake of it. Good thing Harley was not there to face it - but soon she and Crane together were going to face an even bigger wrath now that he was catching up to them. _"No one leaves the Clown Prince of Crime unless_ I _say they can! She's going to pay for this - her and the scarecrow together! Rock, any leads on where they have gone for their little 'honeymoon'?"_ he spat the word indignantly, probably at his quivering henchman, too, who whimpered in fear.

 _"Y-y-yeah, boss. She and Jonathan Crane have gone to New York City, to the Plaza Hotel."_

Ivy closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. _Joker, you son of a bitch..._

 _"Oh, ha-zaah! The kid and the professor go on a lover's getaway to the big city of all places, and not even thinking about the consequences."_ He laughed cruelly. _"Just thought she could get rid of me that easily, did she? Boys, we're going there, and I'm going to teach them both a lesson they'll never forget. No matter what it takes, Scarecrow will regret ever touching what belongs to ME..."_

The recording stopped then and there, and then there was a cracking on the other end, telling her Edward had her back. _"They're both doomed, Pam,"_ he said, nearly moaning before she snapped at him to pull himself together. _"I can think of so many things we can do now, and I say we pull my boys together, your plants, and then we go save Jon and Harley ourselves. And maybe I can leave you to kill the clown yourself."_ He snickered, making her smile. The idea wasn't so bad; she'd wanted to kill the clown for a long time, though she wasn't sure if Harley would forgive her even though she was over him. She just wanted it done and soon, for both their sakes.

"We'll go there now. Gather as many of your men as you can, and I'll meet you at this rendezvous point..."

~o~

They were hit unconscious, but when they both awoke sometime later, Harley found herself laying on the floor of what looked like a huge van - typical of Mistah J - and surrounded with a dozen, or less, of his men. Their faces were not seen clearly, and none of them spoke. She knew better than to utter a sound, but she had to make sure her husband was all right. Jonathan lay beside her, unmoving and on his stomach as she had been. Tentatively, she reached and turned him over on his back. In response, he groaned and stirred.

"Ssh, Jonny, don't move too much," she whispered to him, her bones chilling and her heart rapidly thumping against her sternum. "We're in the van."

His eyelids fluttered, and when his eyes opened, he looked straight up at her. "Harley," he muttered, without a beat. "He has us."

"We're doomed, baby. I'm so sorry." A part of her felt like it was her fault, that they should have been more careful. The back of her head throbbed with the regret, but if she told Jonathan this, he would only say it was not hers to blame, but she felt responsible. They should have gotten out of Gotham sooner, started their honeymoon and first weeks of marriage in England or somewhere like they talked about...but now they were gonna die. But if not today, who knew when.

 _Don't think like that. Eddie has been tagging, so he's gotta know Mistah J is here. All hope is not lost yet, Harley._

"I should assume the responsibility, Harley," Jonathan said softly. "I was supposed to protect you, but now look what happened." He reached up to caress her face, and she closed her eyes when she placed that hand on her cheek and held it there, suppressing the tears for as long as it needed to be until -

And then the truck stopped, and she held still onto him while one of the men stood up and opened the door upwards, letting in sunlight pour through and temporarily blind her and Jonathan, before they were both hoisted up and hauled out of here, shoved onto the ground. On gravel, and near a bay. The city of New York and its bridges were ahead. They had been traveling outside the city for their punishments. No one would hear whatever screaming either of them would unleash from their throats - and the others would never find them in time.

"And so the little wench and the 'good' professor find themselves at my feet," the Joker sneered as he stood in front of them, full regalia in purple and green as she remembered, but that beaming smile no longer made her fall head over heels - and the gleam in his eyes was far from happy to see her. Then the smile was gone, replaced with a hideous snarl. "Stupid little girl, I've been calling you that for years whenever you had the guts to cross me!"

Jonathan snarled back at him. "She's not stupid, you foul-mouthed -" He held in his painful sounds when he received a strike to the back of his head as a warning to keep quiet. He'd gotten worse blows in life, but Harley feared for him. "- piece of chemical filth," he finished, spitting at the Joker who only laughed in barks.

"Really, Scary? Is that the best you can do? Or is it because you are too prim and proper to unleash the most vulgar of obscenities at me just to show how weak you really are? And what a fool you are to take away Harley - MY Harley, by the way!" He leaned into Jonathan's face, taking a handful of red hair into his fist and making the other man wince but hold it tight, not giving any satisfaction or any sign he was intimidated. Jonathan was too strong for this. "And for all of this, you're both going to be punished."

"Killing us is too easy for you, puddin'," Harley snapped.

"Indeed it is, pumpkin pie," he answered sarcastically, standing in front of her with his hands behind his back. "To get right for the target spoils all the fun. I leave you in Arkham and promise to come back and get you only to learn you become a good girl back in society's graces, because you're a damned coward!" he shouted, bringing a hand out and slapping her harshly across the face. Harley fell forward, whimpering and crying now because it hurt so much. "You should have stayed there as I told you to, or did you forget that the Batman comes first and foremost?"

She felt her teeth rattle but none fell. Nevertheless, she parted her mouth to gasp for air. "You always choose to fight the Batman over me," she said angrily, looking up at him daringly. "I'm nothing to you but just a sidekick. Everything you told me in our sessions was a LIE. You have millions of lies to manipulate others and then toss them aside when you don't need them anymore...like me."

He huffed. "And this scrawny nerd is everything I am not," he stated, walking over and delivering a kick to Jonathan's abdomen, sending him doubling over and groaning in pain beside her. He gestured to two of the goons behind her husband to "play" with him while he continued his little chat with his former princess. Baring his teeth, he returned to kneel in front of Harley and take her long hair and force her to her knees. "What does that straw man give you that I don't?" he hissed, which she did back.

"Love, honesty - everything you pretended with me." Another slap, but she didn't cry. She was sure to be bruised if she ever survived today.

"What, you're saying I never LOVED you?" he almost roared, letting her go and dropping her to the gravel. When she didn't answer, he stood up and placed his foot on her back, applying so much pressure to her bared back that she almost sobbed in agony. "ANSWER ME!"

"No," she answered, clenching her fists. "It was all an unhealthy obsession. I was a foolish child, but that girl is no more. I was blind, but my eyes are opened now - _puddin'._ Or should I say piece of dump?" Perhaps she shouldn't have said that, for that foot let go only to come back and blow her to the side, almost cracking a rib and turning her over onto her back so she was looking up at his silhouette.

"Oh, Harley, I'm going to make you pay for this humiliation. But first, I ought to make you suffer by watching as my boys have fun with your precious Scarecrow." He turned his head in the direction of Jonathan's torture; his cheek was bearing an ugly bruise, his lower lip busted and bleeding, and his shirt was being ripped down the front. His tie was torn off so little shreds were remaining. The look in his eyes was sheer desperation and fear...

"STOP IT!" she screamed over at the goons. "STOP HURTING HIM!"

What good would that _ever_ do? They would just keep beating him until he was unconscious, and Joker would force her to watch the so-called fun, and she had to close her eyes and turn away, before her hair was pulled again and snapping her head backwards. Cold steel was placed at her neck. "I would watch if I were you, you little slut," Joker growled, pointing his knife into her pale neck, "unless you want me to cut your throat here and now, so the Master of Fear can taste your blood spilled from your dead body..."

"Joker, _enough!_ " Jonathan shouted hoarsely. "J-just - sp-spare her and take me instead of HER!"

Harley gasped and looked in his direction. _Jonny, what are you doing?!_ she wanted to scream out, but thought better. He was... _offering_ himself for her to be let go! Why would he do this? This shouldn't be...she shouldn't be free while he would suffer for her...! But Joker's gloved hand let her go, and he twirled the knife in his hands whilst snickering.

"Oooh, this just got interesting. What are you doing now, Crane, hmm? Being the hero now for your damsel in distress when you are both in my captivity? Oh, this is so funny." Joker threw his head back and cackled. "I don't believe it; I just don't believe this. I never thought it would get any better than this." He knelt down and blew his breath into Jonathan's face, making the other turn his face inward in disgust. "Now, why would I let the bitch go and keep you, Spooky?"

He wheezed a few times before answering. "Because I'm the one who took her from you. She needed my protection, from you and your knives and hands, and your constant degradation of her pride and confidence!" he spat, looking up with a curling, bleeding lip. "She deserves better than you ever would have given her!" More blood gushed from his poor face as he was kicked. Did he lose a tooth? Harley's heart would break if he did; Jonathan might not be perfect, but he was very proud of himself.

"That ought to be good enough for me," Joker said casually, humming in deep thought for what felt like an eternity before he whirled back around to Harley who was picking herself up. He sighed in faux resignation, slumping his shoulders empathetically. "Oh, well, alright, the deal is done. But not just yet; I think the intended punishment for the betrayal is in order..."

Her punishment was more bruises, a broken bone, and then a brutal cut on her bare leg - her right calf, to be precise, which was bleeding a little if nonstop. By the time it was done, the sun was just going down and she was thrown into the back of the van, not before she briefly shared one last look with her beloved husband before darkness closed in on her eyes.

The door was opened again, and she was taken out, numb to her senses, and tossed unscrupulously onto a public street. Right now it was a very lonely one. No one would bother seeing the battered, bruised and bleeding blonde woman picking herself up and grimacing. If anyone did notice her, then she would scream at them to mind their own business. Her pain was hers to worry about - but it was not the pain compared to the one in her heart. _Jonathan...Jonny...my Scarecrow..._

She wasn't even aware of time anymore as she roamed alone, barefoot and in her pale blue dress from the musical that she had gone to see with him before everything went downhill. Who knew if she would see him again, and if she did, he might be in a body bag or worse: Joker would forbid them from seeing each other again on pain of death.

There was the sound of a vehicle stopping now beside her, but she ignored it and kept on walking...until a familiar lush, feminine voice caused her to halt and whirl around, gasping at the sight of her best friend and the others with her. "Harl!" Red raged, jumping out of the car - Nygma was in the driver seat, along with Jervis in the back - and throwing her arms gently around the blonde. "Oh, my God, what has he DONE to you?! And Crane -!"

"Joker has him," Harley confessed, bursting into tears and leaning into her friend. "Jonathan...gave himself up just to save me. We have to go back and save him, Red. We just got to..."

~o~

Harley was safe, but she was limping through the city streets alone and in pain, that it made Crane angry in the bowels of his stomach and very being. But Joker gave his word and let her go - but he was still prisoner. Every bone in his body throbbed, no broken bones yet, but he was bleeding in his mouth and spitting it onto the ground, staining the rocks. The air was cold, telling him that a fate worse than death was coming. He supposed that this he would accept if he never got free, if none of the others came to his aid.

When he was a boy, he long ago gave up any idea of help coming for him. He always fended for himself, and survived. This time he might not be so lucky. Perhaps he could be tortured until he DID beg to be shot, stabbed - anything to take his life here and then for the woman he loved, wherever she was now.

But the orders Joker gave to his men were the complete opposite - and far worse than what the weapons present would do to him.

"Do what you want with him while I sit and watch, boys. I just want to give him his ultimate humiliation for tainting my Harley, for giving me the humiliation of taking my prize. Tear his clothes off and give him what you want, and don't bother getting sick if he doesn't please any of you. It's not just pleasure; it's revenge."

He held his breath as he was forced onto his back and closed his eyes, feeling his shirt torn all the way down, then onto his stomach when his bared skin was assaulted by the cold, harsh gravel; the garment was pulled off altogether, before the rest of his clothing was being taken care of for the perverse motivations in store for him...

~o~

Pamela clicked her tongue and finished the last of the bandaging of Harley's injuries, applying antiseptic to her bruises and tying her hair out of her face. Her dress had been torn in the abuse, and Ivy had brought spare clothing for her friend. Harley was now in a draping light pink top and jeans, and now she accepted a cup of her special herbal remedy that Jervis had to brew for her with one of Ivy's less deadly "babies" as an ingredient.

"If I see that clown again, I'll kill him for you," she promised Harley, who shook her head fearfully.

"No, Red, I'll do it. He has my Jonny, my baby, and he beat the living daylights out of me! I have to kill him myself for it. He's going to pay for this with my bare hands!" she shouted, gripping the cup so hard she wanted to tear it, wishing it was Joker's throat in her hands. "Who knows what he and the boys are doing to him at this very moment." She closed her eyes and bowed her head, bringing the still-hot cup to her forehead to give herself some short-lived warm comfort.

Jervis frightfully reached for the half-empty cup, crying out, "Oh, dear, don't strain yourself!"

"He's right, Harleen," Nygma said from looking over his computer he set up in the motel room checked in on the other side of the city - and by opposite side, it meant over the bridge, where her husband was being tortured at this very moment. They needed to do something fast, for Jonathan's sake.

"I wish I knew if they were still there, but the van Joker acquired was out of the radar so a tracker could not be placed on time," he said to the others. "I know for a fact they must be there for awhile now, or if not, they must already be on the move. It will be some...time before we catch up to Crane, wherever they took him now." He sighed sharply, not liking how this turned out in the slightest, but none were affected as much as Harley.

She leaned into Isley, holding onto her friend. "Red, the more time, the more Jonny suffers! Who knows if Joker kills him before we -!" She was interrupted by an irate Riddler.

"Harleen, I do not like this any more than you do, but it will have to do. We're going to save him either way. But right now we are going to keep you hidden from sight while our men prowl the city and keep us updated. Unlike the fools I have collaborated with, these ones I can certainly rely on. And I gave them the track to tag onto them so we can nail them all in a second."

"Oh, genius!" Tetch said excitedly, before reverting to nervous. "B-but, how are we going to do this? Are we going to go in and risk our lives, fire the guns and kill as many as possible? Even get ourselves killed in the process?" His teeth visibly chattered that he shrank backwards and barely into the women. He wanted to save his friend, but also scared for his own life.

Edward leaned back in his chair and stretched his bones, sighing. "Relax, Jervis, we're not going to die. Not when our men have it in them this time - and no matter the Clown Prince of Crime having the 'best' in his roll. He thinks he's going to beat us all - but he won't know what I've got to hit him," he said with a wink.

~o~

It had NOT been easy to track down Jon for the next month. Just when things could not get any worse...or perhaps he should have known better than to say those words to himself.

Joker and his gang vanished just like that, much better than Edward anticipated, and it enraged him. The clown thought he could outsmart the Prince of Puzzles, did he? He was besting Nygma's men after his tail, and it sickened him.

Harley went back to Gotham, back to work and her life, but not before she was questioned and then broken down to report her husband missing, but it was not like anyone would truly care because of his past. Edward cursed that damned man Joker sent in to spy on them and sell them out once their guards were lowered. They ruined a perfect start to the first day of the rest of the lives of two happy people - but the past had to come back and do more than haunt them. A month gone and went, and no sign of Dr. Jonathan Crane.

Edward had been tracking Joker and the gang down from New York City to Brooklyn - Harley's birthplace - and then Queens, till he was back to Gotham, which puzzled him even for his intellect. Why didn't Joker just come back to Gotham?

He would have figured all of this out by now. He had the television on which was still giving out clueless news reports as to the still-missing former professor of psychology - and then this new one caught his attention that it made him want to vomit but held it in. This was going to send Harley spiraling downwards, given Jonathan was alive and well...but it was worse than any of them could have imagined.

~o~

She was at work that day, going through a patient's file when her door was knocked on. One of her friends and the nurses, Danielle, came to see her with a frantic air. "Harleen, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you -!"

"No, it's fine," Harley said, though she was frowning. "What's wrong?"

"You got to turn the television on fast!" There was a forty-inch in her office, and she reached for the remote to turn it on to _Gotham Insider_. What she saw made her almost fall out of her chair. "I'm sorry, Harley," Danielle gasped, hands to her cheeks. "I wasn't sure if you saw..." But she no longer heard the other woman, and a part of her wanted to scream at her for even having the nerve to tell her about this - but at the same time, she was glad she was notified right away and knew she had to tell the others soon. And the end of the day wouldn't even come sooner as she wished.

Jonathan...HER Jonathan...was alive, but in a state worse than dead, in his mind and on his own body - as well as inside. He was naked, with a goon in black on top of him while he lay facedown, forced to look blankly at the camera screen while the brutal deed was done to him. His tormentor was urging him to scream, but when Jonathan didn't, gritted his jaws together, his rapist snarled that "either way, the boss will enjoy the scream from you. Isn't that what you enjoyed in your victims as _Scarecrow?_ "

The camera tore away from the horrendous act, and there was the sneering chemical-bleach himself, humiliating Jonathan to the world as well as HER. _"Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have one of the many moments our dear former Scarecrow has been enjoying over the last month. And just to prove a point to him as well as to my dear little Harley Quinn: that is what you get for betraying me and getting what is mine!"_ He stuck his tongue out to the screen before turning it off altogether, but not before the "desired" scream from poor Jonathan in the background was finally heard.

Harley was no longer aware of what was going on anymore as she felt her head spin, her vision buzz, and she hit the ground, hearing Danielle's shrieks as the last thing.

 **God, I felt so sick even thinking about what happened to Jonathan. :( I still am, in addition to the headache I've had for a few hours. Add in the fact this is inspired by the last two episodes of Outlander season 1. But this is not the last of the story; there is more to come.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

 _"She's coming to."_

 _"Stand back; give her room to breathe."_

Her vision was clear, and the voices sounded far away even though she could hear very clearly. With no idea of how long she had been unconscious, she hoped the end of the day was here just for the sake of wanting to go home so she could call the others, then cry into Bud and Lou again. She wasn't even hungry, either; she'd lost her appetite after what she saw on the television...

 _He did...Joker...he did it to Jonny! I'LL KILL HIM!_

Their lives were ruined because of that madman. He should have left them alone, but he never took no for an answer. All this time of worrying, of wondering if they would ever find her husband...and now look what she found out. Jonathan...tortured...RAPED! Her stomach turned at every angle that she felt like she really wanted to puke now. "Harleen, don't strain yourself!" her boss, head Dr. Rachel Renfield, exclaimed, reaching over and helping her into a sitting position. "Goodness, you were in a shock. I'm so terribly sorry..."

 _You can't even possibly KNOW what I am feeling! My husband is being beaten and raped numerous times that I don't think he will be the same man I remember! And who knows where he is now if he's not in Gotham!_

"You don't look well," the director went on, giving her some water. "Perhaps you should go ahead home. Your shift is almost finished, and I won't hold it against you." Harleen almost sighed in utter relief, but after what she planned to do, perhaps she could take a sleeping pill to knock the headache she had away and then sleep it off for the night, she might feel better by morning if not emotionally and psychologically. Knowing this field, she wouldn't recover unless her husband was returned to her...and the road to his recovery in all three stages would _NOT_ be easy, not that it ever was.

"Thank you, Rachel," she said softly to the older woman. "I really am sorry for this trouble."

She thought she would get into a wreck when she got into her car which had been retrieved for her from NYC, and twice she got honked at for slowing down and nearly ran a red light, but when she got home to her apartment, the babies hounded on her and whined as they saw her distress. But as it turned out, she had another visitor - and one she never wanted to see again. "Dr. Quinzelle - I mean, Dr. Crane," the Batman stated, standing there before her opened window she was damned sure she'd locked this morning. Harley sniffed and remained where she was.

"What do you want, B-Man?"

"I think we both know the answer to that," the Caped Crusader responded, unchanged and unhinged by her sudden attitude. She really didn't want to see him, nor did she ask for his help. "I heard about your husband." Oh, the nerve!

Harley shrugged off her coat. "Look, Batman, I've had friends looking for him for me that the police never could, nor would you have really cared, so that is why I never asked you," she snapped, turning away from him and followed by the hyenas who both growled at him warningly.

She heard him follow her, the boots reaching her ears. "But no one has found where he was, and not even your friends - including Poison Ivy and Nygma," he stated, making her freeze in her tracks. "The Joker has not made it easy for them, and it wasn't for me either - but I got a lead on where he has Dr. Crane. I thought you deserved to know so I can bring him back to you."

Now that she heard this, she went even stiffer. He...he found her husband? _Of course he did! He's the Batman; he knows what others can't._ "Where is he?" she demanded, turning around and raising her chin at him. The eyes in the cowl narrowed.

"If I told you, you would follow and let your personal feelings get the best of you," he stated coldly. "I'll take care of it and bring him home, Harleen. You stay here where you are safe and have faith in me."

She sighed and nodded, leaning back against the sink and watched as he turned and exited out the window. "Please keep your promise, Batman," she whispered even though he was long gone now. "Bring my Jonny back and take down Joker for me." But deep down, she knew the clown would only break out of Arkham again and come for them. If he did, then she would be ready for him no matter what the Bat said. She would make Joker pay for the pain he caused her and the man she truly loved.

~o~

When Batman found the footage on the news, his first impression was that any of the average citizens would see the Scarecrow - former, actually - get what he deserved. When he viewed as Bruce Wayne, he churned in his stomach that he should never have seen this, but he had to.

"Good heavens!" Alfred had gasped when he saw the footage with him. "Poor Harleen - I can't imagine what she must have been feeling!"

There were no right words to even answer that. Knowing Harley Quinn, she was devastated. He knew he had to get to work and trace this location...and when he placed it in the bat computer, the dark surroundings of the background was cleared to show the familiarity of a renovation. An apartment, no less. He'd been keeping track of Riddler's activities, and no dare to challenge HIM, but to simply find his friend and former partner. Queens was the last known bounce outside Gotham, which was not like Joker to do. His motivations were not simply to entertain himself; it was to get his revenge on his former henchgirl and girlfriend - and look at what ex-professor Jonathan Crane got.

Joker was back in Gotham, so he must not be going anywhere now outside the city again. Batman had him where he was, but if he no longer had Crane, then it would be a dead end and a broken promise to the wife waiting for him.

This renovated area was the only one available downtown, where no one cared. But Gotham was all about a lack of care unless the right people like himself... He shoved his thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand, searching high and low and knowing this would take all night if he had to. He hated promises he couldn't keep, and this was no exception.

The plastic flapped in the wind, giving off a form of phosphorescent. An eerie form of it. He moved amongst them, blending along with the shadows and silently as a ghost these curtains represented. The lights were off, so he raised his flashlight that he fixed on his belt to search and thus found blind spots and cans of paint - but it was all a humiliating, average ploy to attempt to trick him into thinking no one was here, that it was nothing more than an empty, half-completed apartment...

A noise to his left caught his attention. Turning his head in that direction, Batman narrowed his eyes as he raised his light and shone it through the curtains there - and found the pale, shivering form amidst the plastic, bleeding - but the blood dried - bruised and battered, on the verge of death, but not if he got him to the hospital right away. When the man came to, he would not be so willing to give the details of his torture from his own lips, but examinations would show more than meets the eye. Batman shook his head and knelt down before the abandoned, wanting to curse aloud to Joker who had gotten away with his men before his favorite nemesis could catch him. Both Harleen and this man she was waiting for needed protective custody now, it seemed, and that meant notifying Gordon soon.

The poor man squirmed upon feeling the gloved texture rest on his bared arm, and he curled into himself, whimpering. "No...stop..."

"I'm getting you out of here," Batman murmured gravely, picking up Crane's naked body and carrying him out of this desolate place. His mind had been broken before, and now it was more than ever. There was no telling if it was as extensive as he thought it was.

~o~

She burst through the doors by the next morning and ignored everyone in her way. All she wanted to do was to get to the ICU and see the one she received the phone call on.

 _Jonathan's here!_

"Harleen!" Commissioner Gordon was there, surprising her, stopping in front of her with a somber expression. "The first one I wanted to see."

"Jonathan - how is he?" she demanded.

"It's hard to put in words, but he's going to live, although you should take a look yourself, as much as I hate to put it that way," Gordon answered sadly, reaching and putting a hand on her shoulder to lead her towards the ICU on the first floor. She was having more difficulty keeping it together and mentally slapped herself. She had to be strong for her Jonathan.

The nurse - not her friend Danielle - was checking up on her unconscious husband one last time before she handed the clipboard to Harley, bowing her head and exiting, leaving her and the commissioner alone. Behind her, the old man sighed sharply and reached behind to scratch his head. "I must confess, I'm not like others who say that he got what he deserved - because NO one deserves this," he told her, but his words were droning in and out of her ears that she barely heard him. The words written on paper in front of her eyes were blurred, but she still read them:

 _...two broken ribs...multiple bruises and contusions to the limbs...nail scratch marks and knife cuts...evidence of brutal rape, semen unidentified due to numerous suspects..._

Harley quickly set it down on the table beside Jonathan's bed and fell to her knees. She grabbed the waste basket there and threw up, uncaring that anyone could see her impropriety. "Oh, God," she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

"As soon as the hospital discharges him, he is going into protective custody with you."

She looked up immediately, wiping her eyes. "P-protective custody, sir?" she repeated, stupid to her core. Of course they would go into hiding, but what good would it really do? Joker was coming back for them, and she knew it. He wouldn't rest until he got them both out of the picture. Gordon nodded and knelt down beside her to help her into the chair.

"Yeah," he answered, "and my dear, you can call me Jim from now on."

They were both directed back to the unconscious figure in the bed. Jonathan was wearing the white nightgown of a patient, and the colorful bruises on his poor face and arms were present. Harley seethed at the sight; Joker and the boys would fry by her hands if this would be the last time the GCPD _and_ Batman failed to keep him permanently locked up or killed this time. Even if they did think to charge her for manslaughter or anything, then she would say self-defense - hopefully. At least, she'd saved the lives of her husband and herself, and wasn't that why they were going to keep them both hidden?

"Jonathan," she whispered, reaching and placing her palm over the cold forehead, the warmth slowly regenerating by her hand, brushing the straying red hair out of his eyes. His breaths were shallow, but he was safe and alive. His pulse readings were normal, his mouth covered with an oxygen mask. He was here with her again - but when he awoke, he won't be the Jonathan Crane she knew because of a month of pain worse than his grandmother and the childhood bullies inflicted on him. And for that, fearing for his sanity now as soon as he awoke and saw her, she leaned her head against his chest and began to cry, ignoring the commissioner behind her. However, acknowledging her need for privacy, he turned and left the couple alone to call his dispatches and every available officer he could trust.

~o~

 _"Make him scream and wriggle like the worm he is, boys!"_

 _That hideous cackle filled his ears along with the baritone laughter of the ones hurting him, spreading him open from behind and burning his inner flesh with such disgust that it rushed through his system with an unbearable speed. He closed his eyes. The other areas of his flesh seared with the remaining scars and cuts from the clown's knife and even from any of the goons. His most tender places were bruised that if you touched it gentle enough, it would still hurt...but not as much as THIS. He gritted his teeth when his muscles closed painfully around the latest one to enter his body and savagely pound into him. The man above him was repulsed by the sight of his body - his skeletal structure, most notably - and bluntly called it to his partners who all laughed and spat in agreement._

 _He had never been so ruined in his life, never felt this vulnerable - or so disgusted. What would_ Harley _say if she saw him again...?_

~o~

 _"Jonathan..."_

His head hurt along with his body when he felt himself coming back to awareness. Instead of laying on a cold hardwood floor and plastic, bleeding and ruined inside and out, he found himself laying on a soft bed, wearing a crisp fabric on his body, and covered in soft blankets. _I'm in the...hospital._ But the knowledge did not ease the linger ache in his bones. He was even hooked up to machines; he could still feel the needles poking through his skin into his veins for hydration. His stomach gargled with emptiness, but it wasn't just hunger.

Opening his eyes at last, he saw white surroundings, and then a face poked into his field of vision. "Jonathan." That voice...she was _here_. She was beside him, no words spoken as to why; she was happy that he was home, but there was more: her bright blue eyes were dull with agony and grief for him, and she was fearful of what might happen next.

She was also afraid for HIM.

"You're alive," Harley whispered, kissing his forehead and washing him with the warm love she gave so easily - but on his part, because of the soil staining the inside of every section of his lower body, he was tempted to recoil, but it wasn't like any of those brutes kissed him this way...

 _A hand came down to strike him on the backside, the sensation degrading and sizzling at the same time as he had never felt this before..._

NO! He flinched and pulled away from his loving wife's peck on his forehead, trying to shove the memories to the dark recesses of his mind, but not so successfully.

 _Another hand between his legs, tugging the hair painfully and making him cry harder, then more pressure which threatened yanking it all off and -_

"Jonathan, they are not here," Harley pleaded, even though she knew as well as he that his mind would dwell on this for a long time to come. "Gordon is going to place us into hiding until this is over, once we get you out of here."

He looked at her hard, not answering her but wishing he could if not for this blasted mask over his mouth. He wanted to tell her that his suffering would not be over so easily, no matter what. No matter the authorities promising; they were always a failure. Batman? He would not kill the clown no matter what, either, because of his misguided moral code. Nobody would ever finish the Joker once and for all.

Unless either he or Harley made the move, or the both of them together. Then they could be happy again someday.

 **Anyone crying for both Harley and Jonathan, feel free to bring more Kleenex - but this is far from over. More is on the way. :) Joker will get his soon enough.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Jon was safe, from what Edward saw, and he could not contain himself - but there was the matter of his mental and emotional state at the very present. He leaned back against the couch and inhaled through his nose, let it out slowly at what Summer Gleeson was saying on her latest report.

 _"...infamous Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane - husband of Harleen Quinzelle - has been found and dropped off at Gotham General Hospital around one AM, and in a grave, critical condition. For the last month, the ex-criminal mastermind has been reported missing by none other than his wife, and the culprit responsible was the notorious Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime was rumored to have held the former professor of psychology captive, beaten and tortured - even raped -"_ She paused there, sickened to her core and made it plainly obvious to the world, shuddered before continuing. _"- before recording one such incident and broadcasting only yesterday. And not long after do we get the man himself recovered safe and sound...but in a damaged state of mind. Known to poison helpless victims for the sake of studying and understanding fear in the name of science, Crane is not the villain now but the victim. We wish him a speedy recovery and pray the Joker is found in time."_

"Easier said than done, Miss Gleeson," Nygma spat, turning the TV off. He shook his head yet again and found himself looking at the picture of the wedding day of the happy couple. _You two had it all wrecked because of that monster._

What was more: he and Harley were going to be heading into protective custody. He doubted it would do much good against the clown. In that case, he had his own plans to attend to. He and Isley had wanted to do this long enough, for their friends, even if the main man of the opposite group would not be located in time. Her monsters, his men with their firearms...it was a piece of cake. _Time to call in reinforcements and smoke Joker's men now._

~o~

She and Jonathan were here at the hotel, where there would be constant security watching, but she knew her old Mistah J enough that he would have means to get past them all. This room was nicely furnished with a solid Danish perfection, but she was in too much turmoil to even give it any real attention. Five days had passed since Jonathan was let go from the hospital, and in return, the hospital gave her a leave of absence for her own protection.

"Dr. Crane -" The head officer in charge was addressing her, noticing how distant her husband was, and had been ever since he was released from the hospital and got into the back of the police vehicle with her. "- if you ever need us, we're outside."

"Thank you," Harley answered, closing the door as soon as the final words were spoken, but that left her alone with her still-quiet Scarecrow, meant to be affectionate, but with the blank somber on his face and the dead eyes, he wasn't entirely there. She was not going to force him to do anything, she would gladly wait for him to talk to her about what happened to him, but it had to be sometime soon because she wanted to be there for him, help him whether he asked or not, and not pressure.

But it wasn't going to be easy.

"Jonny," she said softly, watching him go and sit down in the armchair and stare ahead, not even with a blink. He didn't even look at her or speak, still. "Baby, will you say something to me?" She was hoping she wouldn't have to plea with him, but if they were going to be here for awhile, then she had to take baby steps.

Now he was looking at her, but he avoided direct eye contact which hurt her feelings. "I wish there really was anything to say," he said, dull and devoid of any emotion. "But for now, I would appreciate being alone for awhile."

It was only barely nine, when he stood up then. He rolled his shoulders round and around, back and forth, popping his bones. "I'm going to clean up and go to bed early. I'm so tired," he stated, lowering his eyes and making way for the doorway leading to the bedroom, closing the door behind him - leaving Harley hurt more than ever.

She turned her attention to the opened window, seeing the curtains flutter, knowing who their "unexpected" guest was. He must have found out ahead of time and decided another chat was in order. Sometimes she wondered if he had anything better to do now because she really didn't feel like talking. "What do you want now, B-Man?" she asked tiredly, heading for the kitchen and turning the light over the stove on, getting the tea cup and a bag out as well as hot water. "Can't you see we've had a long day enough, had more than enough? You have anything better to pay attention to, like some poor gal in a gang bust in the streets?"

"I happened to have already taken care of that," he answered, taking her off that he must have read her mind, or maybe not. "I had to let you know I am watching over when I get the chance again, since I am not always around, Harleen." He was somewhere in the shadows, hidden well and away from her eyes. "I saw your husband is not doing well."

She snapped. "Of course he's not! What would you expect after a month of...?" She shut her mouth there. "You don't even know what it is like to love someone that much - and someone who's always been there for you, protected you - and swear that no one or anything would ever come between you, only to find the madman of your past come back without taking no for an answer, beat you both down until HE is forced to trade everything from his mind to his body to save your life! You don't know how it feels to see him in the hospital bed, so broken and battered as he had been when you see him _one month later_ on the television!" She broke down then and there, salty tears streaking her cheeks that she reached up with one hand to wipe, sniffling.

"He won't even talk to me."

He sighed, and she wished she could see his face now or even a nod. "Give it time," Batman said instead, and she could have sworn she HEARD the real sympathy. She never lost faith in him ever.

"I intend to," Harley answered, stirring the English breakfast tea - yes, at this time of night - thoughtfully. Her eyes burned with more tears; she could never help it when she cried. "Will Joker ever leave us alone? I want him out of our lives for good! That's the only way Jonathan and I will be free, and it will help him to know that the man who sat by and watched him suffer, let it happen, is gone forever. But you can't even kill him, and Arkham can't even keep him locked up!" she shouted, tempted to throw her empty teacup at him but decided against it. What good would it really do?

Another sharp inhale before all was calm. "I wish I could kill him, but it's not my code."

"Says you!" Harley turned her back to him once again. "Just so you know, if you won't kill him, then I will for my man."

"Only when it is a form of self-defense. I might bend the law every now and then, but in your case and given your record, should the Joker manage to find you and your husband, you need to be prepared - and I think we know what that means." He was telling her the same thing she'd been telling herself, as to avoid being charged with manslaughter. Wordlessly, she nodded her agreement.

~o~

Leaving the hotel and the now troubled couple, Batman was pushed aside for the moment if not by means of removing the mask, and Bruce Wayne was thinking back to the tormented Harleen Crane's words:

 _"You don't even know what it is like to love someone that much - and someone who's always been there for you, protected you - and swear that no one or anything would ever come between you, only to find the madman of your past come back without taking no for an answer, beat you both down until HE is forced to trade everything from his mind to his body to save your life! You don't know how it feels to see him in the hospital bed, so broken and battered as he had been when you see him_ one month later _on the television!"_

He never knew anyone to suffer what Crane did - he was referring to Jonathan Crane - but Alfred would know what to say if he were here right now. He would say that he should put his mask as Batman aside - not in the literal sense - ignore the past with these two for the time being, and help them get through this. He bended because it was necessary. He despised the Joker because of what he did to the city Bruce loved, and he hated the clown now for the suffering he caused his ex-lover and her new husband no matter who these two people were.

Harleen Quinzelle was innocent before the clown snapped her mind and her heart. Jonathan Crane was a tortured man himself who hurt others so they felt what he had. But now they were making up for everything, until the past caught up to them both. That was why Batman would save them both now instead of put them away as he so often used to.

Right now, his attention was rapt away when he caught gunfire not too far away. Four buildings away, five streets turned, and grappling across the rooftops, he found himself at the sight and seeing a dozen men in black versus several others of the same number although more pressed were firing away at each other from opposite sides - and the site of the docks, no less. Two different gang sides - no, wait. Pulling out his binoculars, he looked more closely...and his jaw dropped in spite of himself.

 _The Riddler's men were fighting_ Joker's _men._

Riddler and Scarecrow were friends and sometimes partners, so Nygma had his followers fight Joker's henchmen for what their boss ordered on Crane. He considered acting out now and calling a quits to the bloodshed. Why was this a surprise? He thought of interfering, and perhaps it was the best given Nygma's side wouldn't stand a chance without him. He knew this because currently the numbers were seven of Joker's against five of Riddler's "soldiers" - and now was the time to strike.

"It's the Batman!" The firearms of Riddler's side were not on him, only halted as they were shocked that the Caped Crusader was not packing his punches on them as he usually would, but was instead _helping them._ He ignored them all as he dodged the clown's lackeys and threw his fist out at every one of them until they were all unconscious and hit the ground.

By the time they were all out cold, the earth began to shake beneath him, but it wasn't an earthquake. Looking around, he started when he caught sight of immense, thick and curling green vines crawling out from beneath the dock and from the ground itself, in the areas where concrete cracked and allowed the soil to breathe precious oxygen. But they were not coming for him, but for the unconscious Joker goons and the dead ones, taking them into either pouches - the unconscious, saving for him for the police, to which a part of him was baffled because the eco-terrorist had no fond feelings for him, only for Harley - or the dead taken down into the depths of the sea given no one would miss them, and ironically as well as twisted enough, they would be nutrition for the seaweed and sea plant life down there. Decomposition provided such health over time.

"Batman," the familiar lush voice purred from behind him, followed by the soft clinking of boots, followed by another, more cocky and egotistical that they were both defined, not just by male and female.

"Indeed, what a surprise help, if either of us can call it," the Riddler stated.

He turned around to face them both, narrowing his eyes. "Ironic, isn't it, Nygma, Isley?" he replied, turning around to face them full-front and his cape swishing out behind him. "You two haven't caused trouble but that for your friends' safety. I thought about putting you both back in, but I should thank you this one time."

Poison Ivy laughed, throwing her head back so her fierce auburn hair rippled, too. "You're right, Batman. You're welcome for us helping save Harley and Jonathan, but there is still one man left to deal with," she said, her smile dissolving into a ferocious scowl.

"Joker. I can handle him."

The plant vixen snorted. "I highly doubt it. For all we know, he's on his way to where Harley and her husband are at this very moment."

"I've been tracking him," Nygma concurred, leaning on his cane and sniffing. "Begs what is waiting for him when my dear friends strike him down, which you never could do." He waved a finger. "Perhaps you should go back to them and spring the trap for the clown - or are you leaving that to the pair while you clean THIS mess up on the docks?"

He growled now. The Riddler was trying his patience once again. After he was done here, he was facing a dilemma of letting them both go or taking them both back to Arkham as usual - despite the fact they helped each other tonight and two others who were currently alone and at the mercy of the clown alone in his own game now.

~o~

She showered and returned wearing her favorite pajamas, but when she arrived in the bedroom, there was Jonathan with his back facing her. She couldn't hear any breathing, but there was no way he was dead. If he was asleep now, he would be breathing shallow. _He's avoiding me._

Her heart shattered to pieces then and there.

Harley, for a moment, considered taking one of her sleeping pills she brought with her now so she wouldn't face this aching now, just to leave him alone if he wanted it, but it sounded selfish. She was tired now and wanted to just go to sleep herself. She cried so much in one day that she felt like a child again. A child who didn't know what to do without going to someone else to aid her. She was a grown woman, married to the most wonderful man she'd known - and that man had suffered more than he ever should have. But he refused to look at her, refused to talk to her, and refused to let her touch him.

Maybe that sleeping pill was in order now. So, she took it with water before sliding into bed but turned her back to Jonathan, too, waiting for it to kick in - which would be another hour - and then she might either dream away or just wake up in what felt like moments later without any recollection of what she may or may not have dreamed about. Harley had the gut feeling it would take a damned while longer for this routine from now on.

Exactly one hour later, and half past ten about, she felt the wave of drowsiness kick in, but before she closed her eyes, she felt the shift of the bed as well as the senses of a body turning her way...and a long narrow arm came to wrap around her body, pulling her close and burying a large nose into her shoulder, inhaling her hair and her skin, making her shiver. The last words she heard were ones she had never expected to hear again.

"I'm so sorry. I love you."

~o~

He was well aware of her activities when he told her he was going to bed early, but sleep would not claim him on time. A part of the fact was because he was afraid of closing his eyes and reliving what he endured for a month - and all the details he was afraid to tell her for fear of disgust, but in all the years he knew her, she forgave him always. But this...

Jonathan had never felt so ashamed in his entire life.

He wanted so much to talk to her, but his dignity was down the drain that it was more than he could bear. He could still feel the cuts from both knives and nails on his flesh, the tearing of the inside of his body from something else other than the deadly tools, still feel every sensitive inch of his body violated, and he could still hear Joker telling him this was what he got for taking what was his. He closed his eyes; his better instincts reminded him - TOLD him - this was exactly what the clown wanted him to believe, that he should know better.

Joker was trying to manipulate him and Harley both, but it wouldn't work. He might be back sometime soon, and Jonathan looked forward to it.

Harley came in last night, but he didn't look at her. He knew he was hurting her; she didn't speak to him, either. She must be giving him the same treatment, or she was just simply respecting his wishes. He appreciated it, but it wounded him even more that he began to fear they were slowly reaching the rocks - he quickly shoved the thought away. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he knew the same was happening with his beloved wife...something inside him cracked when he heard the sound of what could be only one thing: pills rattling in a bottle. She was taking a sleeping pill, and he knew why.

 _You damned fool, you're with her now! Stop doing this to her and DO SOMETHING!_

Another hour passed and he knew she couldn't sleep yet because the effects of the medication had to kick in, so perfect timing when he willed his body around to wrap his arm around her, and scoot close to hold her to him. She didn't fight him off, but she didn't return the gesture which stung. Burying his face into the place where her neck and shoulder met, inhaling the fresh smell of her hair, and finally whispered the words he hoped she still wanted to hear. "I'm so sorry. I love you."

She didn't answer, but she heard him. He wanted to believe it was because she was so tired now, and he left it as it was, and fell asleep with her then and there.

When morning broke, he wasn't aching anywhere for the moment, feeling relaxed and sated, but knew it wouldn't last. When he opened his eyes, he saw Harley sitting up in the bed with a small smile on her face, still wearing her pajamas and holding out what smelled like coffee. Returning the smile best he could, Jonathan sat up in bed and took it from her. "Thank you," he said simply, taking a small sip. However, the heated liquid coursed through his system, refreshing it only to have him return to the memory of last night, looking up at her with tremendous guilt. He'd shunned her for the sake of his own selfish preservation, when he had always been there for her. She was trying to do the same for him. "I'm sorry," he repeated, foolish as it was.

"Hey, don't hate yourself." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "We'll get through this together, you'll see." Jonathan hummed his agreement, then found himself looking over at the window, showing a beautiful city shining with silver in the morning sunlight. But when night fell, who knew when one of the most dangerous of men would come their way as it was known in this wretched place he still planned to leave behind with her.

 **Next chapter will be the finale. Stay tuned!**


	10. Chapter 10

**This ending was inspired by the climax of "Fatal Attraction", one of the best erotic thrillers starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. :D A tale of a one-night stand gone awry, and how crazy takes on a whole new meaning when one of them refuses to let go and will do ANYTHING to get what they want (in Glenn Close's character's case, and this time being the Joker).**

 **Begins with mentioning the watch of one of my personal favorite films of all time. The experiences of living in the hotel were based off of my experiences with the one near home before we took off for Hawaiian vacation last month. Enjoy! ;D**

Chapter Ten

She couldn't even believe what had happened that morning. Remembering her husband making the first move to hold her in his arms when they both fell asleep, she'd decided that she should do the next move in doing something for him, and coffee was in the question, feeble and common as it was. It had worked, and he was beginning to smile and talk to her again.

She and Jonathan spent the day then, just chilling and relaxing, not bothered with impressing today. Neither would have to work for awhile, but they had each other. They could do anything today, and as long as they were both watched and on guard.

The entire day, they watched the latest Hallmarks, as well as a couple old erotic thrillers, such as _Basic Instinct_ which had an interesting tale of a hot-headed San Francisco detective being played by a sexy writer who might or might not be an ice pick murderer he was investigating. Sharon Stone had a knack for being a femme fatale, and that was why Harley fancied bad girls in her blood. Jonathan, on the other hand, found himself intrigued by the fact that a woman had all of the control and could get away with her crimes. A good sociopath would definitely pull such heinous deeds off.

They had a trip down to the pool, also under tight surveillance, although Harley spared Jonathan the trouble of having Bozo brought along for the ride, like he complained that one time. Nevertheless, they had some fun, and she did her best to not touch his bare skin too much given she knew what effects were left from... He didn't recoil when he held her last night, but she had to do this for his sake.

They also had to go out in disguise, deciding to go to lunch in the hotel square and were also back near the end of the day. The babies had to be picked up from the apartment as they had no one to take care of them, but this hotel did not allow animals that it made her cry. Bud and Lou were under the care of Detective Renee Montoya, of all people, and who knew if they were giving her a hard time. That was enough to make Harley laugh and lean into Jonathan as she made them both dinner, the food picked up from the lobby room. Lasagna and exquisite peach tea which was poured into the glasses even though it was non-alcoholic, which amused Jonathan even.

And then they both remembered the one thing they both forgot.

"Oh, the ice cream!" Harley exclaimed, horrified, jumping up. "I can't believe it! It's the best part, and the Rocky Road -!"

"Harleen," Jonathan said softly, reaching up with both hands and gesturing her to sit down, "please relax. So did I. I'll do the honors of returning downstairs for us both." He gave her a slight smile and rose. "I'll take Officer Owens with me."

Harley gasped and looked up at him as he stood from the table. "But Jonny, please be careful if anyone tries to..." She trailed off there, afraid, but he only shook his head and made way for the door, picking up the card key. They each had one of their own.

"I won't let anyone come onto me, I promise you that. A second time around will have to be thought of twice as long as I am with the deputy," he swore, turning his head halfway around before back and exiting, leaving her alone.

Sighing, Harley leaned forward on both hands and stared ahead. She believed in him, but she doubted it would be easy. She wouldn't be taking this so lightly, just to be safe. In order to pass the time, she took the plastic dishes over to toss into the trash, then washed the silverware and glasses in the sink before putting them back into their places.

After dessert, she could have him take a bath and she could give him a massage or something, to make him relax. If he wanted to, they both could take a bath and have dessert there. The idea made her giggle and turn the water on the nearest hot level, so it would take time to cool enough for them both but retain enough heat for their bodies and their pleasure. Nothing sexually thriving, but relaxing.

The steam was covering the mirror that it irritated Harley. She reached up and wiped it off -

\- and she screamed when she saw the face of bleach white, red-lipped and green-haired monstrosity, leering at her and waving "innocently" at surprising her. She spun around and held tightly onto the sink behind her as she glared with bared teeth at the Joker.

"You're not welcome here," she snarled. "Not after what you did to Jonathan."

He cackled and waved his other hand - and there was the knife. The blade gleamed wickedly and dangerously. She might die before Jonathan came back...and there was the blood lingering on the silver metal, which told her one thing: the remaining officer outside was dead, and Joker stole the key to the room and snuck in. She gulped; what about Jonathan...?

"Oh, Harley girl, I'm always welcome in your life," the clown told her coyly, stepping further into the bathroom. The steam hissing in the air did not block his face entirely, adding to the menace abroad. "Did you really think you and your Scarecrow would ever be safe from me?"

She spat at him, giving him the answer without speaking. Frowning now, he wiped it from his face. "Well, then," Joker said simply.

"Jonathan will be back any second now," Harley warned him. "He's not alone, either, and you won't get away with this..."

"Please, blah blah blah! Spare me the tough girl quotes. You're nothing more than the weak little link you always were!" he snapped. "Your 'husband' got what came to him."

"You had him tortured and raped to near death!" she shouted, her knuckles tightening to a point where she knew they were turning white, but didn't look. She could feel the sweat coming to the surface, and it wasn't just from the steam soaking her flesh. Her face was moist with it. "And I love him more than I ever loved you! I believe I made it clear back in New York City, you disgusting ball of goo." She braced herself for a strike to the face, but none came. But she could see that he was getting all the more angry and wanted to carve her face out now. Well, what was he waiting for? If he wanted to kill her, then she dared him to with her eyes.

His lips twitched with righteous infuriation and itching to raise his hand right then and there. "You insufferable bitch," he finally ground out, "you're so dead that I have lost my concentration of another good joke to make of you and Crane together now. I suppose I'll settle on the aftermath after I am done with you - and your face is too adorable to keep unmarked!"

Harley screamed when the blade suddenly, without warning, came up and then down _straight for her._

~o~

They'd run out of the Rocky Road that Harley wanted, but left were vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Vanilla was her favorite, and he preferred chocolate best as his sweet tooth was that much darker than hers - and he meant that because of the simple idea of their past personalities. She was more innocent than he - and now it applied because of recent events.

He'd had the food placed on the tab for their overall stay at the hotel; according to Gordon, Bruce Wayne was taking care of their stay, which made him frown. Why would the billionaire playboy care this much to do this act of kindness for them both? He supposed he should be grateful, and they were both comfortable enough.

He got them both more drinks, consisting of milk, soda water and more peach tea as well as more lunches and dinner of all sorts to last a week. Nowadays these damned hotels and motels alike had such small meals! He sneered at the thought. _But at least it tastes satisfactory enough as the bigger version._

"You must be a good husband," Owens noted when they were both in the elevator, and he himself did the honors of pushing the button for the third level, and the room would be around the corner. Because Crane had his arms full of groceries that he couldn't make it to the buttons. "It's something I tried to be for my wife so far in the last eight years we were married."

"You're married?" Jonathan questioned, looking at him curiously, one corner of his mouth twitching with a smile.

"And with three kids. One is seven years old, the other four, and a third on the way," the man answered proudly. "You and the wife ever thought about having any?"

He sighed. Harley wanted children, yes, but it was going to be...difficult now given he feared having a panic attack or a flashback if they ever tried to get physical again. "We talked about it, yes," he answered, in time for the bell to ring that they arrived at their destination, but as soon as they rounded the corner -

"DAMN IT!" The other officer was laying there with his throat slashed open, and a dark pool of blood formed beneath him. "Goddamn it, officer down!" Owens shouted into his comm. "I need backup at the -!"

Jonathan shut it all off as he found himself looking at the door to the room he shared with his wife. _Harley!_ There was only one person to do this, and without thinking twice, he dropped the bags and reached for his key, fumbling with it until the light turned green and he threw the door open - and in time to hear Harley's screaming and crashing...coming from the bathroom.

"NOOOO!" he roared, diving around in time to see her on the ground, tussling with a knife-wielding Joker, who was raising it in the air and slashing at her only to miss and stab the blade into the porcelain tiled floor. "Get away from her, clown!" he bellowed, exciting the monster's attention and that leer as he raised the knife to show blood, but it wasn't Harley's. It was dried now, obviously from the officer down outside the room.

"Well, well, well, lookie here," Joker crooned. "Come to enjoy the party, eh, Jonny boy?"

He bared his teeth and stood his ground. He was making a foolish mistake, given he had no weapon and the clown did. "Back away from my wife now. The police are on their way, and you're not getting away this time..." He was interrupted by sharp barks of laughter.

Joker had moved a distance away from Harley enough for her to slide away from him; he must not care for her any longer now that his attention was on Jonathan. "Pah, always trying to be stronger than the ones bigger than you! I always get away, with the exception of the Batman at numerous times. You're not him, so you're not so tough, Crane. Last month I saw it with my own eyes."

"A month enough to make me stronger now, and now it is just you and me!" he shouted, diving forward, risking a slice-at with the knife, but he dodged it in time to slam into the wall, the sound making a horrific metallic effect. He was losing his touch, and Crane knew it. It made him smile, not only because of that, but that it gave him the advantage to throw a kick at the clown and send him backwards, into the shower curtains which splashed some of the still-warm water onto the floor. "This is for Harley, and for what you let your men do to me!"

He cried out when his opponent struck back as he regained his footing, the blade cutting across Jonathan's chest; steel sliced through cotton and skin, drawing blood and staining the crisp fabric. Joker laughed as he knew he got him down, but Crane was going to let him guess again. He was prepared for the next blow, and that gloved hand with the knife came at him again, but he grabbed that wrist and jerked it downwards so the pointing steel was in another direction so Jonathan could throw himself forward. His body collided with his opponent's and threw them both into the water beneath them.

Quickly, he pulled his own head up and kept his strong hold - one hand around the clown's wrist holding the knife, and the other as well as his entire body against the other's so he could drown the madman. He would have grabbed the knife out of the clown's hands, but the other's grip was that much stronger to keep it away from him. And that was not the half of it: Joker's thrashing beneath him as well as under water was so violent that he must be desperate enough to save his own life, lost his shell completely and left him so vulnerable which made Jonathan crack a grin that it was he who broke the clown down now. But that did not mean he would let go until this demon stopped moving and breathing.

His arms and his whole body was getting tired now. His bruises still lingered in certain places, but he would not stop for the sake of it...

And then the clown stopped moving. No thrashing, no bubbles to the surface, and the hold on the knife beneath the water loosened. A part of his mind warned him that he should take it away from the dead Joker, but he was too tired now. _You've done it...you killed the Clown Prince of Crime. Now he won't hurt you or Harley anymore - or anyone else in Gotham City._

A second thought crossed his mind. Perhaps he should double check and see if the clown was REALLY dead, that he was only passed out. But the way his eyes remained open, unblinking and devoid of any malignant sparkle, his mouth curved in his final grin...

Jonathan shouted in surprise and spun around when water splashed behind him in the tub, and ferocious gasps of air followed along with a furious shout of "YOU WILL DIE NOW FOR THIS!"

And then a gunshot pierced the air. Jonathan jumped backwards when a dark maroon hole appeared in the middle of Joker's chest. Someone shot him through the heart. Joker's face was that of surprise and dismay at who the shooter was, and managed, "Harl...that was not funny...at all..." This time he did not have time for a last grin on his face, slumping further into the tub as the life drained from his body.

Exhaling sharply, Jonathan Crane stared at the corpse of the Clown Prince of Crime for a few moments, then turned to stare at the doorway where the "killer" stood. "Harley," he breathed, managing a smile, ignoring the stinging cut across his chest and drying blood.

She stood with her hair entangled, her face twisting with determination and hatred at the man who tried to tear them both apart. He'd taken back what control had been taken from him for an entire month, killed the man who orchestrated it - or thought that he had killed him - before the clown burst back to life and tried one last time to slash his throat before his former abused flame delivered the final shot to the heart. It was all over, and they both knew it.

"Broken heart for ours - exactly what he deserved," she said with a beam. Lowering the gun, she walked over to him and knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him close.

~o~

Three weeks later, morning broke over Gotham in a haze.

The city had been in utter spirits even though the filth haunting the streets was still far from being cleaned, but the Joker's reign had come to an end. And on that day the news broke out, she was named the hero. She, Harleen Crane, and not the Batman.

She and Jonathan were swarmed with press for being valiant enough to finally pull the trigger, but underneath the smiles they both gave for the camera, and to each other, there was the regret about this attention. A part of her didn't deserve this, and she saw in her husband's eyes that he didn't want this either. He just wanted to get them both out of here as they had always talked about.

And the time had come.

"I'll miss you, Red," she said to her best friend as the five of them - both women, as well as Jonathan, Nygma and dear Jervis who was trying his hardest not to break down - all stood before the charted flight for England. Jervis had been born there before he left as a young man for the states, but his life had not improved then, as it turned out. He was going with them back home, but first he had "business" to attend to before he met them. So, one familiar face was going overseas with them.

Ivy returned the embrace with vigor. "I'll miss you, too, Harl," she answered, trying not to cry. Harley was her only real human friend, and she was going to miss her big time. She would miss all their times shared, but perhaps she could one day escape Gotham for Britain. "You can always come back for a visit, too, you know," Ivy said to them both, but Jonathan chuckled and shook his head.

"I've had enough of this miserable city...but a visit would qualify enough."

"I could go for a getaway myself - but not any time soon," Nygma piped up, slapping Crane on the back of the shoulder, laughing with him. "I'm not entirely sentimental, Jon, but it's going to be different without you. Now that Joker is gone, Gotham is going to change in the events of the criminal underworld."

Jonathan sighed deeply. "It certainly is, Edward." He took the Riddler's hand in his and held it in a simple gesture. "I shall never forget you, my friend. And I look forward to seeing you soon, Tetch," he said when he turned to look down at the short blond man who blushed madly.

"It won't be a burden to either of you, will it?" he asked nervously.

"Of course not!" Harley said. "You're absolutely welcome."

And then Edward broke it off with a tap on his watch. "On top notch, the both of you don't want to miss your flight," he reminded them.

So it was done with final embraces and farewells, and the most tearful came when it was time to say good-bye to Bud and Lou who were going to miss their mistress. They would be taken care of by none other than Edward, who had taken a liking to them both, and the hyenas seemed to like him, too.

By the time their suitcases and everything were ran through, Jonathan and Harleen Crane were aboard their first-class flight, and seated by the window so they could look at Gotham City one last time before they were off to their new life over the ocean. Harley had never been overseas, so the childish part of her was excited. She looked at her husband's side when they were both approached by an attendant who offered them both champagne. "Excited?" she asked him as they clinked glasses together before taking a sip.

He nodded, but nothing else. The dullness in his gaze was back. It made her sad once more. He had promised to talk to her more by the time they got settled in, and she would hold him to it. But the spark of life was no longer there; it would not stop her spending the years to come with him, however. He was half past forty, and who knew how many more years of life he had left, but Harley would not think like that and make the best of it with him. Leaning up, she kissed him on the cheek and promised that they would be happy again, that their old lives would be behind them soon.

Jonathan looked down at her and gave her a smile - and then sealed it with the first passionate kiss in so long a while.

 **I don't really have much of anything to say other than I am happy with how it came out. :) "Fatal Attraction" was one of the best films made, especially with its ending helping me out with the climax between the couple and the Joker. Now Jonathan and Harley can try to pick up the pieces again of what their life was before - at least, the best they can do.**

 **Read and review. :D**


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